A zinc fluorescent sensor used to detect mercury (II) and hydrosulfide

Jae Min Jung; Jae Jun Lee; Eunju Nam; Mi Hee Lim; Cheal Kim; Roger G Harrison

doi:10.1016/j.saa.2017.02.006

A zinc fluorescent sensor used to detect mercury (II) and hydrosulfide

Spectrochim Acta A Mol Biomol Spectrosc. 2017 May 5:178:203-211. doi: 10.1016/j.saa.2017.02.006. Epub 2017 Feb 7.

Authors

Jae Min Jung¹, Jae Jun Lee¹, Eunju Nam², Mi Hee Lim², Cheal Kim³, Roger G Harrison⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Fine Chemistry, Seoul National University of Science and Technology, Seoul 139-743, Republic of Korea; Department of Interdisciplinary Bio IT Materials, Seoul National University of Science and Technology, Seoul 139-743, Republic of Korea.
² Department of Chemistry, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan 44919, Republic of Korea.
³ Department of Fine Chemistry, Seoul National University of Science and Technology, Seoul 139-743, Republic of Korea; Department of Interdisciplinary Bio IT Materials, Seoul National University of Science and Technology, Seoul 139-743, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: chealkim@seoultech.ac.kr.
⁴ Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, 84062, USA. Electronic address: roger_harrison@byu.edu.

PMID: 28189093
DOI: 10.1016/j.saa.2017.02.006

Abstract

A zinc sensor based on quinoline and morpholine has been synthesized. The sensor selectively fluoresces in the presence of Zn²⁺, while not for other metal ions. Absorbance changes in the 350nm region are observed when Zn²⁺ binds, which binds in a 1:1 ratio. The sensor fluoresces due to Zn²⁺ above pH values of 6.0 and in the biological important region. The Zn²⁺-sensor complex has the unique ability to detect both Hg²⁺ and HS^-. The fluorescence of the Zn²⁺-sensor complex is quenched when it is exposed to aqueous solutions of Hg²⁺ with sub-micromolar detection levels for Hg²⁺. The fluorescence of the Zn²⁺-sensor complex is also quenched by aqueous solutions of hydrosulfide. The sensor was used to detect Zn²⁺ and Hg²⁺ in living cells.

Keywords: Chemosensor; Hydrosulfide; Mercury; Morpholine; Quinoline.