Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 18, 2026

Qualitative Identification of Carboxylic Acids, Boronic Acids, and Amines Using Cruciform Fluorophores
Published on: August 19, 2013
Unprecedented chemosensing behavior of novel tetra-substituted benzimidazole zinc(II) phthalocynine for selective
Azeem Ullah1, Faheem Shah2, Imran Khan1
1Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, CAS, 155 Yang Qiao West road, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China.
Abstract:
In this work, synthesis of novel symmetrical 4-(2-bromo-4-(5-bromo-1H-benzo[d] imidazol-2-yl) phenoxy) tetra substituted zinc phthalocyanine has been reported. The novel benzimidazole zinc phthlocynine compound (3) has been characterized by MALDI-TOF MS, FT-IR, UV-vis, and 1H NMR spectroscopy. This new compound 3 displayed excellent selectivity towards Bi3+ ion in the presence of other competitive ions including Ca2+, Cd2+, Co2+ Cu2+, Fe3+, Hg2+, Sn2+, Mg2+, Na+, Ni2+ and Pb2+ respectively. Upon addition of Bi3+ into the solution of compound 3 in DMSO, dramatic change was observed in the Q- and the B-bands in UV-visible spectra as a result of donor acceptor interactions. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) were also studied using 2,7-dichlorofluorescin diacetate (DCFH-DA) a fluorescent probe which is converted to highly fluorescent dichlorofluorescein (DCF) in the presence of ROS. This property of non-aggregating zinc phthalocyanine is promising as a photosensitizer in photodynamic therapy of cancer.
Related Concept Videos
Electrophilic Aromatic Substitution: Fluorination and Iodination of Benzene
Diazonium Group Substitution with Halogens and Cyanide: Sandmeyer and Schiemann Reactions
Electrophilic Aromatic Substitution: Chlorination and Bromination of Benzene

