A coumarin-based fluorescent chemosensor for Zn2+ in aqueous ethanol media

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Materials Science
• Organic Chemistry

Background:

• Fluorescent chemosensors offer sensitive detection methods.
• Coumarin derivatives are widely used due to their photophysical properties.
• Developing selective sensors for specific metal ions like zinc is crucial for environmental and biological monitoring.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and synthesize a novel coumarin-based fluorescent chemosensor.
• To investigate the sensor's response to zinc ions (Zn2+).
• To evaluate the sensor's selectivity and application in real water samples.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of a coumarin-based compound (1).
• Spectroscopic analysis (fluorescence spectroscopy) to study the interaction with Zn2+.
• Testing selectivity against other common metal ions.
• Application of the sensor for Zn2+ determination in water samples.

Main Results:

• Compound 1 exhibited low background fluorescence due to intramolecular photoinduced electron transfer.
• A significant "turn-on" fluorescence enhancement was observed upon addition of Zn2+.
• The fluorescence intensity showed a linear correlation with Zn2+ concentration (0.5-10 µmol L⁻¹).
• A low detection limit of 0.29 µmol L⁻¹ was achieved for Zn2+.
• The sensor demonstrated high selectivity for Zn2+ over other tested metal ions.
• Satisfactory results were obtained when applying the sensor to real water samples.

Conclusions:

• The synthesized coumarin-based compound functions as an effective "turn-on" fluorescent chemosensor for Zn2+.
• The sensor exhibits excellent sensitivity, selectivity, and applicability for detecting Zn2+ in aqueous environments.