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Updated: Jan 11, 2026

Synthesis of pH Dependent Pyrazole, Imidazole, and Isoindolone Dipyrrinone Fluorophores using a Claisen-Schmidt Condensation Approach
Published on: June 10, 2021
A distinctive merocyanine-based fluorescent probes for the detection of phosgene and hydrazine
Wen-Ke Jiang1, Xu Wang2, Wei-Na Wu1
1College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Henan Key Laboratory of Coal Green Conversion, Henan Polytechnic University, Jiaozuo 454000, PR China.
Abstract:
Phosgene (COCl2) and hydrazine (N2H4) are widely used in many industrial fields, but they are highly toxic to human health. This report presents the design of a merocyanine probe (CONO) incorporating phenanthroimidazole and quinolinium groups for the dual detection of COCl2 and N2H4. The CONO could quantitatively detect COCl2 via a fluorescence decrease at 586 nm over a concentration range from 0 to 50 μM, with the limit of detection (LOD) calculated as 31.71 nM. Also, CONO could act as a ratiometric fluorescent probe for N2H4, exhibiting a low LOD (2.67 μM) and excellent pH tolerance (4.0-11.0). Investigation of the sensing mechanism revealed that the hydroxyl and phenanthroimidazole of CONO were acylated by COCl2, leading to the quenching of fluorescence; while N2H4 triggered the remove of the terminal acetate group and the elimination of 4-methylene-cyclohexa-2,5-dienone, forming an ethylene-quinoline derivative with shorter emission wavelength. Utilizing CONO, we developed a test strip for detecting gaseous COCl2 and N2H4. Importantly, the probe CONO was successfully applied for the detection of N2H4 in water samples, living cells, plants and animals.
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