Lab-on-a-Molecule Probe: Multitarget Detection of Five Aromatic Pesticides Using a Supramolecular Probe under Single...

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Supramolecular Chemistry
• Environmental Science

Background:

• Pesticide residues pose risks to human health and ecosystems.
• Rapid, sensitive, and selective detection of multiple pesticide residues is crucial for control and prevention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a lab-on-a-molecule probe for simultaneous analysis of multiple aromatic pesticides.
• To achieve sensitive and selective detection of pesticides under single wavelength excitation.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a ThT@Q[8] host-guest complex probe.
• Fluorescence titration and spectral analysis.
• RGB color extraction for multi-analyte detection.
• Chemometric analysis (PCA, LDA) for pesticide recognition.
• Application in real water samples and living cells.

Main Results:

• The ThT@Q[8] probe demonstrated a linear correlation between fluorescence intensity and pesticide concentration (down to 10⁻⁷ M).
• Diverse fluorescence color changes allowed for RGB-based multi-analyte detection and discrimination.
• Successful detection and differentiation of five pesticides in tap water and river water.
• Probe showed good cell permeability for detecting pesticide residues in living cells.

Conclusions:

• The ThT@Q[8] probe provides a foundation for qualitative and quantitative multitarget detection of pesticide residues.
• The developed probe offers a rapid, convenient, and sensitive method for pesticide analysis.
• This approach has potential applications in environmental monitoring and biological sample analysis.