A novel tryptamine-appended rhodamine-based chemosensor for selective detection of Hg2+ present in aqueous medium and its biological applications

A novel rhodamine–tryptamine conjugate–based fluorescent and chromogenic chemosensor (RTS) for detection of Hg²⁺ present in water was reported. After gradual addition of Hg²⁺ in aqueous methanol solution of RTS, a strong orange fluorescence and deep-pink coloration were observed. The probe showed high selectivity towards Hg²⁺ compared to other competitive metal ions. The 1:1 binding stoichiometry between RTS and Hg²⁺ was established by Job’s plot analysis and mass spectroscopy. Initial studies showed that the synthesized probe RTS possessed fair non-toxicity and effectively passed through cell walls of model cell systems, viz., human neuroblastoma (SHSY5Y) cells and cervical cells (HeLa) to detect intercellular Hg²⁺ ions, signifying its utility in biological system. The limit of detection (LOD) was found to be 2.1 nM or 0.42 ppb by fluorescence titration. Additionally, the potential relevance of synthesized chemosensor for detecting Hg²⁺ ions in environmental water samples has been demonstrated.

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Synthesis of amino ester-embedded benzimidazoles: a one-pot sequential protocol under metal-free neutral conditions

A one-pot three-component protocol has been developed for the synthesis of amino ester-embedded benzimidazoles under metal-free neutral conditions. Sequentially, the methodology involves coupling of an amino ester with 1-fluoro-2-nitrobenzene, reduction of the coupled nitroarene by sodium dithionite, and cyclization of the corresponding diamine with an aldehyde.     

Expeditious synthesis of diverse spiro fused quinoxaline derivatives using magnetically separable core–shell CoFe2O4@SiO2‐SO3H nanocatalyst under ultrasonication

A magnetically separable core–shell CoFe₂O₄@SiO₂‐SO₃H nanocatalyst has been successfully exploited as a heterogeneous acid catalyst in the synthesis of diversely substituted biologically important spiro fused pyrrolo/indolo[1,2‐a]quinoxaline derivatives through the condensation of N‐(2‐aminophenyl)pyrroles/indoles and various cyclic conjugated 1,2‐diones in ethanol under ultrasonic irradiation. Room temperature synthesis, short reaction time, wide substrate scope, good to excellent yield of products and use of a magnetically separable and recyclable nanocatalyst make this method attractive and practicable.