A Dual-Functional Fluorescent Chemosensor Derived from Naphthalene Dithiouryl for Cu²⁺: Applications in Water...

A chemosensor (CNS) built on a naphthalene fluorophore was developed, featuring a disulfide-bridged dimer structure. The probe CNS was completely characterized by the usual spectral analysis methods like ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, and HR-MS. The CNS probe selectively detects Cu²⁺ ions and subsequently recognizes the amino acid tryptophan in a semi-aqueous medium of DMF:H₂O solution. The detection of Cu²⁺ ions occur via three distinct mechanisms: suppression of the photoinduced electron-transfer process (PET), arrested rotation of diuryl groups leading to conformational change, and a blue-shifted fluorescence enhancement through intramolecular charge-transfer (ICT). With a 1:1 complexation ratio and a detection limit of 2.14 x 10^-4 M, the CNS probe has been successfully applied in various practical scenarios, including real water sample analysis, glyphosate detection, smartphone-based color detection, and Cu²⁺ ion testing using a cotton-swab method.