A highly selective colorimetric and fluorescent probe for Cu2+ based diarylethene with a diaminomaleonitrile unit. (8th January 2021) - Liu, Xutang
Abstract: A novel photochromic diarylethene derivative containing a diaminomaleonitrile unit (1O ) was synthesized and its colorimetric and fluorescent turn-on sensing of Cu 2+ in acetonitrile solution was demonstrated. Both of its open- and closed-loop isomers (1O and 1C ) were highly selective for Cu 2+ with obvious absorption and color transforms. Moreover, the addition of Cu 2+ enhanced the fluorescence of 1O up to 174-fold with the concomitant color change from colorless to blue. The limit of detections (LODs) for Cu 2+ was determined to be 1.76 × 10 −8 mol L −1 . The stoichiometry of 1: 1 between the probe 1O and Cu 2+ was measured in Job's plot and ESI-MS. Most remarkably, the probe 1O could be used to detect Cu 2+ in test strip. Graphical abstract: Image 1 Highlights: A new asymmetrical photochromic diarylethene with a diaminomaleonitrile unit was synthesized successfully. This diarylethene could be used as a colorimetric and fluorescent probe for specific recognition of Cu 2+ ions. The sensor could be applied to qualitative detection of CN − on test paper strips.