The effect of substituents on the response of 3,4-dihydro-3-(2-oxo-2-phenylethylidene)-quinoxalin-2(1H)-one derivatives toward binding of Cu2+

A new series of fluorogenic chelating reagents based on phenylethylidene-3,4-dihydro-1H-quinoxalin-2-one with different substituents (attached either to the quinoxaline-2-one (3) or phenyl ring (4)) have been investigated to examine the effect of the substituent (nature/position) on the spectral properties and response toward Cu²⁺ in the presence of other metal cations, in ethanol. It was found that all of the examined ligands exhibit a pronounced response to Cu²⁺ addition resulting in a red-shift in the UV–vis spectra and a strong quenching in the fluorescence spectra. Among the ligands examined, 3a exhibits the highest selectivity toward various metal cations. In general it appears that the best response selectivity of these ligands toward Cu²⁺ ion is obtained by either EDG in 3 or EWG in 4. For example, the fluorescence intensity of 3a (with OMe substituent) increases to about three times that of the unsubstituted derivative.     

A Schiff base‐grafted nanoporous silica material as a reversible optical probe for Hg2+ ion in water

A novel organic–inorganic silica‐based fluorescent probe was designed, synthesized and characterized by different techniques such as XRD, BET, TGA, and FT‐IR. The fluorescence properties of the probe were studied in the presence of a variety of metal‐ions in water. The results revealed that various metal‐ions negligibly vary the emission intensity of the probe except for Hg²⁺, which quenched the intensity dramatically. The selectivity of the probe toward Hg²⁺ ion was further investigated in the presence of common competing metal‐ions and the results demonstrated the high selectivity of the probe toward Hg²⁺ ion. The fluorescence emission of the probe was also studied as a function of the concentration of Hg²⁺ ion. A nanomolar limit of detection was estimated for Hg²⁺, indicating a high sensitivity. Furthermore, the probe showed INHIBIT‐type logic behavior with Hg²⁺ and H⁺ as inputs. Also, the optimum pH range was studied in addition to reversibility and real world applicability of the probe.     

Complexation and DFT studies of lanthanide ions by (2-pyridylmethoxy)homooxacalixarene derivatives

The binding of lanthanide cations by 2-pyridylmethoxy derivatives of p-tert-butyldihomooxacalix[4]arene (1b), in the cone conformation, and p-tert-butylhexahomotrioxacalix[3]arene (2b), in both cone and partial cone conformations, was studied. These properties were assessed by extraction studies of the metal picrates from water into dichloromethane and stability constant measurements in methanol and acetonitrile, using spectrophotometric and microcalorimetric techniques. Proton NMR titrations with La³⁺ and Yb³⁺ cations were done in order to get information on the binding sites. Computational methods (density functional theory (DFT) calculations) were also used to complement the NMR data. The p-tert-butylcalix[4]arene analogue (3b) was also studied, and the results of the four ligands were compared. Partial cone-2b is the best extractant for lanthanide ions, showing some preference for the heavy lanthanides. In complexation, all four ligands show the same trend and a high selectivity for Yb³⁺ (ML, log β ≥ 7). Besides the formation of ML complexes, ML₂ species were also obtained. In most cases, these species were corroborated by the proton NMR studies. For partial cone-2b with Pr³⁺ the complexation process is enthalpically driven, whereas for 3b the formation of the ML₂ species with this cation is due to a favourable entropy term. DFT studies indicate that ligand 3b forms the most stable complex with La³⁺, followed by partial cone-2b.     

Utilization of a spiropyran derivative in a polymeric film optode for selective fluorescent sensing of zinc ion

Spiropyrans are the most studied families of func- tional materials due to their reversible structural con- version in response to external optical, chemical, and thermal stimulation[1]. Irradiation with ultraviolet light causes formation of an extended π-conjugation open form (merocyanine form) by heterolytic cleavage of the C (spiro)-O bond, which generates an intense ab- sorption in the visible region. Under the irradiating of visible light, the opened form will come back to the closed spi…     

Synthesis and extraction properties of new chromogenic azo-calix[4]dibenzothiacrown ethers

Two novel chromogenic cone calix[4]dibenzothiacrown ethers 3 and 4 in which nitrophenylazo groups attached at the phenyl ring of dibenzothiacrown unit were described. The extraction properties of 3 and 4 toward different transition metal ions have been studied using conductometric technique and found to exhibit Cu²⁺ and Hg²⁺ selectivity with very high stability constants range from log K _assoc = 5.19 to log K _assoc = 8.72.     

Triphenylamine‐based fluorescent conjugated copolymers with pendant terpyridyl ligands as chemosensors for metal ions

Two well‐defined triphenylamine‐based fluorescent conjugated copolymers with pendant terpyridyl ligands were synthesized through Suzuki coupling polymerization and were further characterized by ¹H‐NMR, ¹³C‐NMR, gel permeation chromatography, Infrared, and UV‐vis spectra. Polymer P‐1 , terpyridine‐bearing poly(triphenylamine‐alt‐fluorene) with a high fluorescence quantum yield (62%) shows much higher sensitivities toward Fe³⁺, Ni²⁺, and Cu²⁺ as compared with the other metal ions investigated. Especially, Fe³⁺ can lead to an almost complete fluorescence quenching of polymer P‐1 . Whereas, the analogous polymer P‐2 , in which N‐ethylcarbazole repeat units replace the fluorene units in P‐1 , shows a very poor selectivity. It demonstrates that polymers with a same receptor may show different sensitivity to analytes owing to their different type of backbones. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 1310–1316, 2010     

Ester and Ketone Groups Substituted Mono- and Di- Azo-coupled Azocalix[4]arenes as Extractant for Hg+ and Hg2+, or Cr3+Cations

This article describes extraction properties of mono- (A1–A8) and di- (B1–B8) substituted azocalix[4]arene analogues. The ionophore solvent extractions of alkaline-earth (Sr²⁺), basic metal (Pb²⁺) and transition metal cations (Ag⁺, Hg⁺, Hg²⁺, Co²⁺, Ni²⁺, Cu²⁺, Cr³⁺) from aqueous phase to organic phase were carried out by azocalix[4]arene derivatives. It has been observed that they show a good extraction behavior toward selected heavy metal (Hg) and toxic metal (Cr), while A4 and B4 prefer Hg⁺, Hg²⁺ and Cr³⁺ among transition metal cations, respectively. The azocalix[4]arenes (A1–A8) and (B1–B8) are not efficient extractants for all of the selected metal cations, whereas A4 and B4 are selective only for Hg metal cation.     

Detection of Hg2+ ion using highly selective fluorescent chemosensor in real water sample and in-vitro cell study upon breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7)

A novel rhodamine-based chemosensor (R) was designed and synthesised for selective recognition of Hg²⁺ ion in real water samples collected from different places. The chemosensor was prepared in green condition with high yield. The selectivity of R was examined with various metal ions, among which only Hg²⁺ was identified selectively with off–on mechanism along with enhancement of fluorescence. Metal ions recognition has been carried out using UV–vis and fluorescence studies taking µM concentration of chemosensor R in HEPES buffer. The detection limit of R was calculated and found to be 4.4 × 10^–9 M. Quantum chemical (DFT) calculation was carried out in order to acquire knowledge about the stability of R in presence of Hg²⁺ ions. Cell viability and fluorescence microscopic experiments showed R as cytocompatible and can be used as a fluorescent probe for detecting Hg²⁺ in living cells.     

A ‘turn-on’ fluorescent chemosensor based on rhodamine-N-(3-aminopropyl)-imidazole for detection of Al ions

A novel N-(3-aminopropyl)-imidazole-appended rhodamine-based fluorescent chemosensor was synthesized. The sensing behavior and selectivity of the synthesized chemosensor toward metal cations were studied by UV/vis and fluorescence spectroscopy. The chemosensor recognized Al³⁺ ions by a significantly enhanced fluorescence and a visible color change due to opening of the spirolactam ring triggered by the addition of Al³⁺ ions.     

Transmetalation in a Ce(III)‐phosphoester Crystalline Coordination Polymer with an Exceptionally High Selectivity for Yb(III) and Lu(III)

A novel crystalline coordination polymer containing Ce³⁺ and bis(4‐nitrophenyl) phosphate (L), CeL₃, was synthesized and its unique transmetalation selectivities toward Yb³⁺ and Lu³⁺ in the lanthanide series were evaluated. The relatively large difference in transmetalation selectivity between the neighboring Tm³⁺ and Yb³⁺ species is noteworthy because the reactivities of heavy lanthanides are generally considerably similar. The structural strain of the polymeric framework is likely responsible for this unusual trend. Powder X‐ray diffraction analysis indicated that, in the cases of only Yb³⁺ and Lu³⁺, large differences in their ionic sizes compared to that of Ce³⁺ in the parent framework may induce a structural strain after solid solution formation, while cleavage of the relatively weak Ce?O bond allows the formation of new Yb?O and Lu?O bonds with the incoming Yb³⁺ and Lu³⁺, respectively. Structural phase transitions likely caused by the heterogeneous nucleation of the Yb‐ (or Lu‐) type phase were also observed.     

A Simple Colorimetric Sensor with High Selectivity for Mercury Cation in Aqueous Solution

Abstract

A simple and sensitive mercapto thiadiazole Schiff-base colorimetric chemosensor 2 was synthesized. It exhibits good selectivity and sensitivity for the mercury cation over other metal cations such as Zn²⁺, Pb²⁺, Cd²⁺, Ni²⁺, Co²⁺, Ag⁺, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, and Cr³⁺ in both aqueous solution and on paper-made test kits. The change in color is very easily observed by the naked eye for the presence of Hg²⁺ cation, whereas other metal cations do not induce such a change. The chemosensor 2 showed remarkably anti-interference ability toward other metal cations and the detection limit toward Hg²⁺ was 1.5 × 10^?5 M.

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT      

A Highly Selective and Turn‐on Fluorescent Probe for Fe3+ Ion Based on Perylene Tetracarboxylic Diimide

We have demonstrated a turn‐on fluorescent sensor 6 for detection of Fe³⁺ based on photo‐induced electron transfer (PET) mechanism. The probe comprises a perylene tetracarboxylic diimide (PDI) fluorophore and two bis((1,2,3‐triazol‐4‐yl)methyl)amine (DTA) moieties as the metal ion receptors. It exhibits high selectivity toward Fe³⁺ over various other metal ions in CH₃CN/H₂O (1:1, V/V). The binding stoichiometry for 6 ‐Fe³⁺ complexes has been determined to be 1:2 by a Job plot of fluorescence. The association constant between 6 and Fe³⁺ was estimated to be 1.04×10¹⁰ (mol/L)^?2 by Benesi‐Hildebrand equation.     

Polymer Supported Calix[4]arene Schiff Bases: A Novel Chelating Resin for Hg2+ and Dichromate Anions

This article describes the synthesis and characterization of two new calix[4]arene Schiff bases and their polymeric resins. The extraction properties of these “proton switchable extractants” with alkali, transition, post transition metal cations and for dichromate anions are reported. The two new calix[4]arene based Schiff bases (5 and 6) have been synthesized from 5,17‐diformyl‐25,27‐dipropoxy‐26,28‐dihydroxycalix[4]arene (4) by treatment with 3‐amino‐methylpyridine and 1,8‐diaminooctane in two separate reaction flasks following the same procedure. Compounds 5 and 6 have been appended to a polymeric resin by treatment with Merrifield resin through a nucleophilic substitution reaction. The receptor compounds (3 and 5–8) do not extract alkali metal cations, but show some selectivity toward transition metal cations, and a particularly high selectivity to Hg²⁺ and Pb²⁺. The protonated forms of all of the calixarene‐based receptors are good extractants for transferring Cr₂O₇ ^2?/HCr₂O₇ ^? anions from an aqueous into a dichloromethane layer.     

New ON-OFF type Ca-selective fluoroionophore having boron-dipyrromethene fluorophores

A new fluorogenic ionophore has been prepared by conjugating calix[4]-crown-5 ether with boron-dipyrromethene fluorophore. The ionophore exhibited a pronounced selective ON-OFF type response toward Ca²⁺ ions over other physiologically important metal ions of Na⁺, K⁺, and Mg²⁺. The interaction with Ca²⁺ ions resulted in very efficient quenching of fluorescence at 507 nm excited by relatively long wavelength irradiation at 480 nm. The selectivity ratios toward Ca²⁺ ions over other tested physiologically important metal ions were larger than 180 in aqueous 95% MeOH solution.     

Study of Bulk Membrane Transport of Some Heavy Metal Cations Using Three Macrocyclic Ligands Containing Oxygen and Nitrogen Heteroatoms

The transport experiments of Co²⁺, Ni²⁺, Cu²⁺, Zn²⁺, Cd²⁺, Ag⁺ and Pb²⁺ metal cations were carried out by dibenzo-18-crown-6 (DB18C6), dibenzyl-diaza-18-crown-6 (Dibenzyl-diaza-18C6) and di-tert-butyl-dibenzo-18-crown-6 (Di-tert-butyl-DB18C6) using chloroform (CHCl₃), 1,2-dichloroethane (1,2-DCE) and nitrobenzene (NB) organic solvents as liquid membranes. The source phase contained equimolar concentration of these metal cations and the source and receiving phases being buffered at pH=5 and pH=3, respectively. The obtained results show that the selectivity and the efficiency of transport for these heavy metal cations change with the nature of the ligand and also the organic solvents, which were used as liquid membranes in these experiments. A good selectivity was observed for silver (I) ion by dibenzyl-diaza-18C6 in all membrane systems. Dibenzo-18C6 and di-tert-butyl-DB18C6 showed the highest transport efficiency for cobalt (II) ion. The effect of stearic acid on transport efficiency was also investigated and the results show that the efficiency of transport of the heavy metal cations increases in the presence of this organic acid.     

An imidazole functionalized copper(II)-organic framework for highly selective sensing of picric acid and metal ions in water

An imidazole functionalized metal–organic framework (MOF), [Cu(HL)(H₂O)]·(H₂O)·(DMA) ( HBU-166 , H₃L = 4,4′,4″-(1H-imidazole-2,4,5-triyl)tribenzoic acid, DMA = N,N-dimethylacetamide) was synthesized and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. HBU-166 was observed as a two-dimensional MOF and showed good stability in water, an acidic solution (pH = 4), and an alkaline solution (pH = 9). HBU-166 exhibited ligand-based luminescence with a blue shift, which could be attributed to the coordination effect. Moreover, HBU-166 could be applied to detect nitroaromatic compounds (NACs) and metal ions in water with preferable selectivity and sensitivity. In particular, HBU-166 could be used as a promising luminescent sensor for picric acid (PA) with enhancement of emission intensity. The mechanism for PA detection likely involved electron transfer and weak interaction between ligand and electron-deficient of NACs at the beginning to increase the emission intensity. Additionally, HBU-166 exhibited excellent selectivity in the sensing of 4-nitrophenol and Fe³⁺ through fluorescence quenching.     

Single chemosensor for sensing multiple analytes: Selective fluorogenic detection of Cu2+ and Br−

A tripodal receptor R1 with a combination of nitrogen and oxygen-based binding sites was designed and used for the selective determination of Cu²⁺. The fluorescence emission profile of R1 in the presence of Cu²⁺ showed a marked enhancement in fluorescence intensity, indicating high selectivity among other metal ions. The R1–Cu²⁺ complex was further explored as a sensor for anion detection. Upon addition of Br^?, switching to a fluorescence “off” state was observed. The Br^? selectivity of the complex over a wide range of concentrations was observed via titrimetric analysis through changes in the emission spectra.     

Six lanthanide(III) coordination polymers with 3,5-bis(4′-carboxy-phenyl)-1,2,4-triazole: syntheses,structures, and photoluminescence

Six 3-D lanthanide(III)-metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) through multidentate 3,5-bis(4′-carboxy-phenyl)-1,2,4-triazole (H₂BCPT); acetic acid (HOAc); and corresponding trivalent rare earth chloride, {[Ln(BCPT)(OAc)(H₂O)]·(H₂O)}_n (Ln = Nd³⁺ (1); Sm³⁺ (2), Gd³⁺ (3), Tb³⁺ (4), Ho³⁺ (5), Yb³⁺ (6)), have been synthesized. MOFs 1–6 were characterized via FT-IR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, X-ray single-crystal diffraction, thermal analysis, and fluorescence. MOFs 1–6 are isomorphous, which can be described as a 3-D construction containing a dinuclear cluster [Tb₂(CO₂)₂(O)₂]. The 3-D structure with (4,4) topologies have been extended through BCPT^2? using μ₄-kO;kO;kO;kO coordination modes. Solid-state luminescence of 1–4 and 6 shows the characteristic bands of Nd³⁺, Sm³⁺, Tb³⁺, and Yb³⁺ from visible to near-infrared spectral regions.     

Calix[4]arene-based crab-like molecular sensors for highly selective detection of mercury and copper ions

In this work, two novel chemosensors based on calix[4]arene bearing (thio)barbituric acid groups (BC1 and BC2) were synthesised, and their structures were characterised by HRMS, NMR and FTIR. Furthermore, their binding properties towards various biologically relevant metal ions were studied by fluorescence titrations, ¹H NMR spectroscopies and Job’s plot evaluations. The chemosensor BC1 displayed excellent binding affinity and selectivity towards Cu²⁺, which was characterised using fluorescence spectroscopy. On the other hand, BC2 exhibited a very remarkable fluorescence enhancement as well as visible colour change from pale green to sunset yellow, in presence of Hg²⁺ ions. Finally, Job’s plot method revealed 1:1 binding stoichiometry for both BC1:Cu²⁺ complex and BC2:Hg²⁺ complex.     

8-Methoxyquinoline based turn-on metal fluoroionophores

Novel turn-on fluoroionophores 2 and 3 based on highly fluorescent 8-methoxyquinoline were developed in which a sequential singlet-singlet energy transfer, ISC, and triplet-triplet energy transfer occurred leading to a fluorescence ‘off’ state. They showed substantially enhanced fluorescence in the presence of transition metal ions such as Zn²⁺, Cu²⁺, Pb²⁺, and Hg²⁺ and an extremely high selectivity toward Zn²⁺ by 3.