Spectroscopic Studies on the Interaction of Metallic Ions with an Imidazolyl-Phenolic System

A fluorescent imidazolyl-phenolic compound was applied on the detection of metallic species (Cu(2+), Al(3+), Cr(3+) and Fe(3+)) in a CH3CN/H2O (95/5, v/v) media. The presence and concentration of these cations altered significantly the emission profile of the probe, mainly lowering the signal intensity at 466 nm, while a new emission band around 395 nm appeared (for the trivalent ions). These results were rationalized as a combination of collisional quenching (KSV in the 10(3)-10(4) L mol(-1) range) and formation of a coordinated compound. The later disrupts the Excited State Intramolecular Proton Transfer that regulates the keto-enol tautomerism originally present on the free probe. Since the quenching efficiency and the obtained emission profiles are drastically different for Cu(2+) and Fe(3+) ions, this allows their differential recognition.