An economical and green approach to the synthesis of naphthyl derivative for detection of l-carnitine (3-hydroxy-4-N-trimethyl-aminobutyrate) is practically important. We developed a naphthyl derivative as a probe showing 'turn-on' response towards l-carnitine selectively at pH 7.2 through ICT mechanism with a good limit of detection (LOD) of 0.126 μM. Using Job's plot for determining the binding stoichiometry, it was found that probe could form a more stable complex (1:1) with carnitine. The binding constant (K) between probe and carnitine was calculated as 8 × 107 M-1 using the Benesi-Hildebrand plot. The binding interaction of the probe with l-carnitine was confirmed by nuclear magnetic resonance titrations, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, photo physical studies and density functional theory calculations. Meanwhile, the probe can be used to quantitatively detect carnitine in food samples.
Keywords: ICT; LOD and DFT calculations; chemodosimeter; l-carnitine; naphthyl derivative.
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