A binuclear Zn(II)–Zn(II) complex from a 2-hydroxybenzohydrazide-derived Schiff base for selective detection of pyrophosphate

摘要

A hydroxybenzohydrazide-based Schiff base ligand was conveniently synthesized. Upon addition of Zn~(2+) cations, the ligand exhibited a high tendency to form a binuclear structure with a 2: 2 ligand-to-zinc ratio, which was accompanied by a large fluorescence turn-on (λ_(em) = 507 nm, φ_(fl) ≈ 0.28). The reactivity of the zinc complex was examined using different phosphate anions, which reveals a higher response to acid pyrophosphate anions. Detailed spectroscopic studies show that the pyrophosphate response is based on the ligand displacement mechanism.