The present paper reports on the synthesis and characterization of a new chemosensor for fluoride ions, a hydrazone derived from pyridoxal 5'-phosphate and benzothiazole. The structure of the chemosensor was confirmed using 1H and 13C NMR, FT-IR and mass spectroscopy. The conformational diversity of the chemosensor influencing the sensor activity was studied by the quantum chemistry methods on the B3LYP/6-311++G(d, p) (H, C, N, O, P, S) level, and the optimal structure of the chemosensor was chosen. The selective capability of detecting F- in the aqueous solution, which also contains Cl-, Br-, I-, NCS-, ClO4-, HSO4-, and NO3- was demonstrated. The detection limit (LOD) for fluoride ions was 0.22 µM as determined by the 3σ method. The turn-on effect in the presence of fluoride ions is based on the deprotonation of the chemosensor and its subsequent aggregation in DMSO. In addition, the chemosensor was used for the detection and estimation of F- in real samples using fluorescence spectroscopy.
Keywords: Fluorescent chemosensor; Fluoride ion; Hydrazone; Limit of detection; Vitamin B6.
© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to European Photochemistry Association, European Society for Photobiology.