Brian Musikavanhu,Dongwei Zhu,Mengran Tang,Zhaoli Xue,Shengjun Wang,Long Zhao
Naphthol hydrazone derivatives are recognized as efficient chelating agents for both qualitative and quantitative detection of metal ions. Here we design a naphthol hydrazine-based chemosensor with covalently linking a strong electron-withdrawing benzothiadiazole group to modulate the molecular electronic structure, nominated as NtHzBtd . The fluorescent probe performs excellent selectivity and sensitivity towards Fe 3+ with 1:1 binding stoichiometry, while exhibiting a quick response at 55 s with a relatively low limit of detection of 0.036 µM. A series of spectroscopic measurements in tandem with theoretical calculations suggest that the probe undergoes both intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) and chelation enhanced quenching (CHEQ) processes. Successful color rendering of paper strips and bioimaging in PC3 cells demonstrate the promising applicability of NtHzBtd for portable Fe 3+ detection in real samples and biosystems.
Brian Musikavanhu,Zeping Huang,Quanhong Ma,Yongdi Liang,Zhaoli Xue,Lei Feng,Long Zhao
A pyridine modified naphthol hydrazone Schiff base chemosensor, NaPy , was prepared in a two-step process to detect aluminum ion (Al 3+ ) in different samples. The probe shows a turn-off emission response towards Al 3+ at a 1:1 binding stoichiometry via intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) mechanism, as validated by density functional theory (DFT) calculations and a series of spectroscopic measurements. The response time is slightly over one minute with a limit of detection (LOD) value of 0.164 µM, demonstrating the great sensitivity of the probe. It is also found that NaPy exhibits high selectivity towards Al 3+ and resists interference from seventeen other cations. Application investigations in paper strips, water samples and HeLa cells suggest that NaPy can be used as an efficient probe for sensing Al 3+ in real environmental samples and biosystems.