A digital imaging method for evaluating the kinetics of vapochromic response

This work describes the novel use of a cell phone camera and the L*a*b method (color space defined by the International Commission on Illumination) to characterize the color change in different vapochromic platinum (II) complexes in order to get quantitative and more reliable data. In this study, we have developed a semiautomatic CCA software that digitally analyzes images (e.g., video frames) collected while a vapochromic material is absorbing vapor and changing its color. The advantages of using this method, compared to reflectance or transmission spectroscopy through a thin film, include its low cost, convenience, portability, ease of sample preparation, the lack of need for specialized equipment, and the possibility of simultaneously collecting data on different samples under identical conditions. The results show that this strategy is effective in producing quantitative information about the kinetics of processes.