A simple urea-based multianalyte and multichannel chemosensor for the selective detection of F - , Hg 2+ and Cu 2+ in solution and cells and the extraction of Hg 2+ and Cu 2+ from real water sources: A logic gate mimic ensemble

Abstract

Herein, a hydrazine-based chromogenic, fluorogenic and electrochemical chemosensor BCC [1,5-bis(4-cyanophenyl) carbonohydrazide] was premeditated and synthesized through a simple one-step synthetic procedure for the selective detection of toxic anions, such as F - , in a DMSO-ACN medium and cations, such as Hg 2+ and Cu 2+ , in a MeOH-water medium. The detection limit for F - was reckoned to be 0.5 ppm, and for Hg 2+ and Cu 2+ , it was 0.8 ppm and 50 nM, respectively. The chemosensor exhibited a distinct change in colour from colourless to dark blue in the presence of F - , and upon the addition of Hg 2+ and Cu 2+ , the BCC turned from colourless to light blue and purple accordingly. Moreover, turn-on fluorescence response transpired by the attenuation of PET signified the selective sensing of analytes with a zero-order rate constant. Sophisticated analytical experiments, such as ESI-MS, UV-Vis, photoluminescence, cyclic voltammetry, FTIR, and 1 H-NMR, along with the theoretical calculations corroborated the probable sensing pathways. The reversible colorimetric response of BCC towards F - and H + can be advantageous in the design of electronic circuits derived from Boolean algebra. The complexation ability of the sensor with toxic Hg 2+ - and Cu 2+ -like ions made it an efficient material to remove these metal ions from real water sources polluted with these toxic elemental ions. Furthermore, the in vitro studies were accomplished using the Bauhinia acuminate pollen cell to check the cell penetrability of the sensor molecule. © 2019 The Royal Society of Chemistry.