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

摘要

A simple S–S (disulfide)-bridged dimeric Schiff base probe, L , has been designed, synthesized, and successfully characterized for the specific recognition of Al~(3+) and Fe~(2+) ions as fluorometric and colorimetric “turn-on” responses in a dimethylformamide (DMF)-H_(2)O 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 Al~(3+) and Fe~(2+) 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 Al~(3+) and Fe~(2+) ions in real water samples.