Naked Eye, Ratiometric Absorption, and Ratiometric Fluorescence for Lead-Ion Analysis with a Triplex-Signal Chemosensor

• Published in: European journal of inorganic chemistry Vol. 2018; no. 18; pp. 1877 - 1881
• Main Authors: Ma, Pan, Wang, Yucheng, Qi, Qun, Dong, Xiaoru, Zhu, Peihua, Yu, Jinghua
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: WEINHEIM Wiley 15.05.2018
• Subjects: Chemistry; Chemistry, Inorganic & Nuclear; Physical Sciences; Science & Technology; Porphyrinoids; ENERGY; ELECTRON-TRANSFER; SPECTROSCOPY; Lead; Fluorescence; DYAD; Sensors; CHARGE-SEPARATED STATE; PORPHYRIN; PROBES
• ISSN: 1434-1948; 1099-0682
• DOI: 10.1002/ejic.201701399

A metal-free tetra(aryl) porphyrin derivative, modified by a N,N'-bis(2-hydroxyethyl)-1,6,7,12-tetrachloroperylene-3,4:9,10-bis(dicarboximide) group, namely TBPP-PDI (1), has been designed, synthesized, and characterized. TBPP-PDI is employed as a resonance-energy-transfer (RET) based sensor for the detection of Pb2+, based on a process involving the donor PDI and the acceptor porphyrin. Binding with Pb2+ induces significant change in the solution color, enabling naked-eye detection. Furthermore, the large changes in the intensity ratio of the two absorptions (I-466/I-418) and distinct emissions (F-607/F-719) allow for the ratiometric detection of Pb2+ with excellent sensitivity. The detection limit for the Pb2+ ion with TBPP-PDI is determined to be 4.0 x 10(-7) M under the present conditions. More importantly, the sensor provides the potential application of on-site and real-time detection of unknown Pb2+ ions in real systems. The present results represent the first example of a PDI-porphyrin based triplex-signal optical sensor for Pb2+, and provide the basis for a practical strategy for the rational design of new functional probes for many useful applications in real systems.