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BACKGROUND Using a norfloxacin (NFLX)-Nd3+ -cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) system for the detection of NFLX, a simple and sensitive method based on fluorescence enhancement was developed. RESULTS In pH 7.0 buffer solution, NFLX reacted with Nd3+ to form a complex, which resulted in fluorescence enhancement of NFLX, and the maximum emission peak shifted from 415 nm for NFLX to 450 nm for NFLX-Nd3+ . Moreover, the fluorescence intensity increased further when the surfactant CTAB was added to NFLX-Nd3+ . Under the optimum conditions, the fluorescence intensity of the NFLX-Nd3+ -CTAB system was linearly correlated with the NFLX concentration in the range 0.038-10 µmol L-1 , with a correlation coefficient (R2 ) of 0.9997. The detection limit (3σ/k) was 0.021 µmol L-1 , indicating that this method can be applied to detect trace NFLX levels. The mechanism of fluorescence enhancement is discussed. The method was used to detect NFLX in fish and chicken samples with satisfactory results. CONCLUSION The present results indicate that this method has the potential for fast and real-time determination of NFLX in food samples © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.