Sensitive fluorescent chemosensor for Hg(II) in aqueous solution using 4’-dimethylaminochalcone

• Published in: Journal of fluorescence 2022-07, Vol.32 (4), p.1449-1456
• Main Authors: Mellado, Marco, Roldán, Nicole, Miranda, Rodrigo, Aguilar, Luis F., Bravo, Manuel A., Quiroz, Waldo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Analytical Chemistry; Aqueous solutions; Biochemistry; Biological and Medical Physics; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Biophysics; Biotechnology; Chemical sensors; Chemoreceptors; Electron transfer; Fluorescence; Mathematical analysis; Mercury (metal); Mercury compounds; Nervous system; Original Article; Pigments; Quenching; Stoichiometry; Toxicity
• ISSN: 1053-0509; 1573-4994
• DOI: 10.1007/s10895-022-02941-2

Mercury (Hg) is an element with high toxicity, especially to the nervous system, and fluorescent pigments are used to visualize dynamic processes in living cells. A little explored fluorescent core is chalcone. Herein, we synthesized chalcone ( 2E )-3-(4-(dimethylamino)phenyl)-1-phenylprop-2-en-1-one ( 8 ) and assessed its photophysical properties. Moreover, the application of this chemosensor in aqueous media shows a selective fluorescence quenching effect with Hg(II). The figures of merit for the chemosensor were calculated to be LOD = 136 nM and LOQ = 454 nM, as well as a stoichiometry of 1:1. Furthermore, the association constant (K a ) and fluorescence quenching constant (K SV ) were calculated using the Benesi–Hildebrand and Stern–Volmer equations to be K a = 9.08 × 10 4 and K SV = 1.60 × 10 5 , respectively. Finally, by using a computational approach, we explain the interaction between chalcone ( 8 ) and Hg(II) and propose a potential quenching mechanism based on the blocking of photoinduced electron transfer.