A 2-Hydroxy-1-naphthaldehyde Schiff Base for Turn-on Fluorescence Detection of Zn2+ Based on PET Mechanism

Experimental and Theoretical Studies of Novel Cadmium(II) N2O-Schiff Base Complexes: Synthesis, Spectroscopic Characterization, X-ray Crystal Structure, and Fluorescent Properties

Three 2,6-dimethoxyaniline Schiff base cadmium(II) complexes were synthesized via a one-pot reaction and characterized by spectroscopic methods (NMR, FT-IR, EA), X-ray crystallography, SEM/EDX and fluorescent spectroscopy. The molecular structures of complexes 1-3 were elucidated by X-ray crystallography, revealing penta-coordinated cadmium(II) centers with distorted square-pyramidal geometries. Mononuclear molecules form supramolecular structures through intermolecular C-H···Cl interactions and π···π stacking interactions, which further stabilize the structures of the complexes. DFT calculations were performed to analyze the electronic structures and frontier molecular orbitals. The fluorescence properties of complexes 1-3 were investigated in both solid-state and solution, exhibiting characteristic emission bands. The study provides insights into the structural and luminescent properties of these cadmium(II) complexes, demonstrating their potential applications as luminescent materials.

Hydrazone copper(II) complexes suppressed lung adenocarcinoma by activating multiple anticancer pathway

Activating multiple anti-cancer pathways has great potential for tumor treatment. Herein, we synthesized two binuclear Cu(II) hydrazone complexes ([Cu2(HL1)2Cl2] 1 and [Cu2(HL1)2Br2] 2) and two mononuclear hydrazone-Cu(II) complexes ([Cu(HL2)Cl]·CH3OH 3 and [Cu(HL2)(H2O)Br]·2H2O 4), to evaluate their anti-lung cancer activities. MTT assays revealed that the Cu(II) complexes demonstrate superior anticancer activity compared to cisplatin. Among them, complex 3 exhibited selective toxicity towards A549 cancer cells in comparison to normal cells and demonstrated hemolytic activity comparable to cisplatin. The low toxicity and effective antitumor capabilities of complex 3 have been confirmed in xenograft experiments using A549 tumor-bearing mice. Interestingly, complex 3 eradicates lung tumor cells both in vivo and in vitro by initiating multiple anticancer pathways, including cuproptosis. Our research extends the study of hydrazone copper complexes and provides strategies for the treatment of lung cancer.

L-Phenylalanine-derived pseudopeptidic bioinspired materials: Zn(II) induced fluorescence enhancement and precise tuning of self-assembled nanostructures

The pseudopeptide, owing to its intriguing, sustainable, and easily accessible multifunctional properties, has attracted significant research interest over the years. C2-symmetric pseudopeptidic chiral bioinspired materials have been developed for their selective sensitivity to Zn(II) ions via a turn-on fluorescence under physiological conditions. Moreover, these are promising soft materials for precisely tuning their self-assembled nanostructures after incubating with Zn(II), opening avenues for exploring similar effects in various peptidomimetics.

Benzil Bis-Hydrazone Based Fluorescence 'Turn-on' Sensor for Highly Sensitive and Selective Detection of Zn(II) Ions

In this study, a novel Benzil Bis-Hydrazone (BBH) sensor with two C = N-N = C moieties was designed and synthesized based on the condensation reaction between benzil-dihydrazone (b) and cinnamaldehyde. The BBH probe in dimethylsulfoxide showed extremely weak fluorescence. However, the same solution exhibited an intensive fluorescence enhancement (152-fold) with the introduction of Zn(II) ions. In contrast, no or negligible fluorescence changes were observed when other ions were added. The fluorogenic behavior of BBH towards the examined cations indicated an excellent selectivity of the BBH sensor for Zn(II) cations without any interference from other cations like Fe(II), Mg(II), Cu(II), Co(II), Mn(II), Cr(III), Hg(II), Sn(II), Al(I), La(III), Ca(II), Ba(II), Na(I), K(I), and especially Cd(II). Moreover, the UV-vis spectrophotometric titrations revealed that a 1:1 stoichiometric complex BBH-Zn(II) was formed during the Zn(II) sensing and the binding constant value for this complex was calculated to be equal to 106.8. Further, in order to show the affinity of the BBH sensor for Zn(II) cations, it was deemed necessary to determine the limit of detection (LOD) which was found to equal to 2.5 10-4 M.

A near-infrared Fluorescent Probe Based on Dicyanisophorone for the Detection of Zinc Ions (Zn2+) in Water and Living Cells

As one of the important metal ions, zinc ions (Zn²⁺) are widely involved in various physiological and pathological processes, and play fundamental roles in neurotransmission, cell metabolism and apoptosis. However, the convenient monitor of Zn²⁺ in environmental and biological samples remains challenging. In this study, a small molecule dicyanoisophorone-based schiff base incorporating with o-phenylenediamine was synthesized. It can rapidly combine with Zn²⁺ to emit significant near-infrared fluorescence (maximum emission wavelength: 660 nm), so it can be used as a probe to quantitatively detect Zn²⁺ in the range of 0-10 μM, with a detection limit as low as 4.8 nM, showing the probe has high sensitivity for Zn²⁺. And the probe has a fast response time to Zn²⁺ (less than 30 s) and a large Stoke-shift (179 nm). In addition, the high recovery rates in practical water samples, and the clear fluorescent images in living A549 cells were obtained, which are of great significance for the detection of Zn²⁺ in the environment and biosystem. Due to its simple operation, good selectivity and anti-interference ability, short detection time and high sensitivity, this probe has great application potential as a fast detection tool for Zn²⁺ in environmental water and biological samples.

Two near-infrared fluorescent probes based on dicyanoisfluorone for rapid monitoring of Zn2+and Pb2

Zinc (Zn2+) and lead (Pb2+) ions in the environment have important effects on human health and environmental safety. Therefore, it is of great significance to realize convenient and reliable detection of these two metal ions. In this study, two near-infrared fluorescent probes for the fast detection of Zn2+ and Pb2+ were synthesized by a simple Schiff base reaction between the dicyanoisophorone skeleton and carbohydrazide derivatives. Among them, the probe with the thiophene-2-carbohydrazide group showed a selective fluorescence response to Zn2+ and Pb2+ with a maximum emission wavelength of 670 nm. And the detection limits of the probe for Zn2+ and Pb2+ were 1.59 nM and 1.65 nM, respectively. In contrast the probe modified by the furan-2-carbohydrazide group achieved quantitative detection of Zn2+, with a detection limit of 2.7 nM. These results were attributed to the fact that the probes bind to Zn2+ and Pb2+ in stoichiometric ratios of 1:1, blocking the intramolecular PET effect. Furthermore, these two probes can be recycled through the action of EDTA and have been successfully used to detect Zn2+ and Pb2+ in real water samples.

Preparation of Large Conjugated Polybenzimidazole Fluorescent Materials and Their Application in Metal Ion Detection

A new type of conjugated polybenzimidazole (CPBI) was synthesized through a simple polycondensation reaction without metal catalysis, and N-alkylation modification was carried out to solve the problems of solubility and fluorescence properties. A series of nano-microsphere polymers CPBI_n with large conjugation, good solubility, and strong fluorescence has been successfully used as “turn-off” fluorescent probes for the first time. The results show that, under suitable N-alkylation conditions, the obtained CPBI_n can be used as a highly sensitive and selective fluorescent probe for the detection of Cu²⁺ and Zn²⁺ at the same time, and their detection limits are both nM levels. In addition, CPBI₂ can be designed as an ultra-sensitive IMPLICATION logic gate at the molecular level, cyclically detecting Cu²⁺. With the test paper containing CPBI₂, easy and quick on-site detection can be achieved. This research provides a new idea for the brief synthesis of multifunctional materials.