Abstract: Based on the selective quenching effect of the flavonoid rutin on the fluorescence of carbon dots prepared by asparagine pyrolysis, a method for rapid detection of rutin content in the flower buds of Sophora japonica by using chitosan-based carbon dot paper chip was developed. A filter paper was immersed in the casting solution of carbon dots and chitosan. After drying, a carbon dot chitosan film was formed on the surface of the filter paper, so that the chitosan-based carbon dot paper chip was obtained. After samples were dripped on the chip, chromogenic reaction occurred uniformly within a limited region, and pictures were taken under an ultraviolet (UV) lamp at 365 nm for analysis of the red (R), green (G), and blue (B) values of the colored spots in order to optimize the preparation conditions and detection conditions. The results showed that the optimal conditions were as follows: chitosan concentration of 20 mg/mL, carbon spot concentration of 1.0 mg/mL, 50% ethanol as sample solvent, and reaction time of 20 min. Under these conditions, the difference (ΔG) in G-value between sample and solvent spots had a linear relationship with rutin concentration (C) in the range of 4 to 120 mg/mL. Using this method, the average contents of rutin in the flower buds of S. japonica from three batches were determined to be 23.85%, 22.83% and 20.30%, the average relative standard deviations (RSDs) were 6.1%, 5.6% and 6.7%, and the recoveries were 91.27% to 107.5%, which were close to the results of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The proposed method is simple and rapid, and can be used for rapid on-site determination of rutin content in the flower buds of S. japonica.

Key words: carbon dots; chitosan; paper chip; rutin