A chalcone-based fluorescent chemosensor for detecting Mg²⁺ and Cd²

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Materials Science
• Organic Chemistry

Background:

• Chalcones are versatile scaffolds with diverse applications.
• Fluorescent chemosensors offer sensitive and selective detection of metal ions.
• Developing novel sensors for environmentally relevant metal ions like Mg²⁺ and Cd²⁺ is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and synthesize a novel chalcone-based fluorescent turn-on chemosensor.
• To investigate the selective detection of Mg²⁺ and Cd²⁺ using the synthesized sensor.
• To elucidate the binding mechanisms and determine the detection limits for Mg²⁺ and Cd²⁺.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of SBOD (sodium (E)-2-(3-[5-bromothiophen-2-yl]-3-oxoprop-1-en-1-yl)-4,6-dichlorophenolate).
• Fluorescence spectroscopy for sensing experiments.
• Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry (ESI-MS) and Job plot analysis for binding studies.
• UV-vis spectroscopy and computational calculations for mechanism elucidation.

Main Results:

• SBOD was successfully synthesized as a chalcone-based fluorescent chemosensor.
• SBOD exhibited selective turn-on fluorescence detection for Mg²⁺ and Cd²⁺.
• Low detection limits were achieved: 3.8 μM for Mg²⁺ and 2.9 μM for Cd²⁺.
• A 1:1 binding stoichiometry between SBOD and both Mg²⁺ and Cd²⁺ was confirmed.

Conclusions:

• SBOD is an effective fluorescent turn-on chemosensor for the selective detection of Mg²⁺ and Cd²⁺.
• The sensor demonstrates high sensitivity and a well-defined binding mode.
• The findings contribute to the development of advanced analytical tools for metal ion monitoring.