Experimental and Theoretical Studies on a Simple S–S-Bridged Dimeric Schiff Base: Selective Chromo-Fluorogenic Chemosensor for Nanomolar Detection of Fe2+ & Al3+ Ions and Its Varied Applications

• Published in: ACS omega Vol. 5; no. 6; pp. 3055 - 3072
• Main Authors: Immanuel David, Charles, Bhuvanesh, Nanjan, Jayaraj, Haritha, Thamilselvan, Annadurai, Parimala devi, Duraisamy, Abiram, Angamuthu, Prabhu, Jeyaraj, Nandhakumar, Raju
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: American Chemical Society 18.02.2020
• ISSN: 2470-1343; 2470-1343
• DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.9b04294

A simple S–S (disulfide)-bridged dimeric Schiff base probe, L, has been designed, synthesized, and successfully characterized for the specific recognition of Al3+ and Fe2+ ions as fluorometric and colorimetric “turn-on” responses in a dimethylformamide (DMF)-H2O solvent mixture, respectively. The probe L and each metal ion bind through a 1:1 complex stoichiometry, and the plausible sensing mechanism is proposed based on the inhibition of the photoinduced electron transfer process (PET). The reversible chemosensor L showed high sensitivity toward Al3+ and Fe2+ ions, which was analyzed by fluorescence and UV–vis spectroscopy techniques up to nanomolar detection limits, 38.26 × 10–9 and 17.54 × 10–9 M, respectively. These experimental details were advocated by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The practical utility of the chemosensor L was further demonstrated in electrochemical sensing, in vitro antimicrobial activity, molecular logic gate function, and quantification of the trace amount of Al3+ and Fe2+ ions in real water samples.