Quantum chemical elucidation of the turn-on luminescence mechanism in two new Schiff bases as selective chemosensors of Zn2+: synthesis, theory and bioimaging applications

Theoretical investigation of the Zn2+ detection mechanism based on the quinoline derivative of the Schiff-base receptor

The sensing mechanism of the quinoline-derived Schiff base HL (concentrated from 8-hydroxyquinoline with 2,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde) as a highly selective fluorescent probe for Zn²⁺ was investigated by theoretical calculations with DFT and TDDFT. The conformations of the HL molecule, its ketone form and its Zinc complex structure, were optimized in the ground and excited states. The systems have been studied in depth in terms of structural parameters, frontier molecular orbitals, absorption and fluorescence spectra as well as potential energy curves analysis and approximately density gradient analysis. The present theoretical calculations propose a different detection mechanism from that proposed experimentally. The theoretical results predict that the fluorescence quenching in HL is attributed to the excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) rather than the photoinduced electron transfer (PET) of benzene to electrons. When Zn²⁺ is introduced, Zn²⁺ takes the place of the H atom, creating a complex that blocks the ESIPT reaction and restores fluorescence.

Schiff Bases: A Versatile Fluorescence Probe in Sensing Cations

Metal cations such as Zn²⁺, Al³⁺, Hg²⁺, Cd²⁺, Sn²⁺, Fe²⁺, Fe³⁺ and Cu²⁺ play important roles in biology, medicine, and the environment. However, when these are not maintained in proper concentration, they can be lethal to life. Therefore, selective sensing of metal cations is of great importance in understanding various metabolic processes, disease diagnosis, checking the purity of environmental samples, and detecting toxic analytes. Schiff base probes have been largely used in designing fluorescent sensors for sensing metal ions because of their easy processing, availability, fast response time, and low detection limit. Herein, an in-depth report on metal ions recognition by some Schiff base fluorescent sensors, their sensing mechanism, their practical applicability in cell imaging, building logic gates, and analysis of real-life samples has been presented. The metal ions having biological, industrial, and environmental significance are targeted. The compiled information is expected to prove beneficial in designing and synthesis of the related Schiff base fluorescent sensors.

A Colorimetric Distinct Color Change Cu(II) 4-{[1-(2,5-dihydroxyphenyl)ethylidene]amino}-1,5-dimethyl-2-phenyl-1,2-dihydro-3H-pyrazol-3-one Chemosensor and its Application as a Paper Test Kit

In the current research work "4-{[1-(2,5-dihydroxyphenyl)ethylidene]amino}-1,5-dimethyl-2-phenyl-1,2-dihydro-3H-pyrazol-3-one" chemosensor (C1) synthesized by condensation reaction using "4-amino-1,2-dihydro-1,5-dimethyl-2-phenylpyrazol-3-one" and "2,5-dihydroxy actophenone" was used as the effective sensor of metal ion. The C1 shows absorption peak at 326 nm due to the C = C bond (π-π* transition), while the absorption peak at 364 nm is caused by the C = O bond (n-π* transition). In the presence of copper, C1 only demonstrated a redshift in absorption peak from 364 to 425 nm. Even in the presence of other competing metal ions, the hypsochromic shift of the absorption band and the quenching of the fluorescence emission intensity were different for detecting Cu²⁺, in CH₃OH-H₂O (v/v = 6:4). The capacity of the C1 to bind with Cu²⁺ was further proved using DFT simulations. The complex C1 + Cu²⁺ has a HOMO-LUMO energy gap of 2.8002 eV, which is lesser than C1 (2.9991 eV) showing improvement in the stability of the C1 + Cu²⁺ complex. Using the Benesi-Hildebrand and Scatchard plots, calculated Kb values were to be 47,340 and 48369 M^-1 respectively, showing the creation of stable complexation between Cu²⁺ and C1 with 1:1 stoichiometry. The limit of detection (LOD) for Cu²⁺ ion was 649 nM. Strip sheets were also built and tested to detect varying amounts of Cu²⁺ in aqueous solution, and their color change suggested that they might be used for on-site Cu²⁺ detection in polluted water.

Theoretical study on the optical properties of an ESIPT-based fluorescent probe for phosgene

A fluorescent probe Pi with the excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) properties was synthesized and used to detect the phosgene in solution and gas phases. However, the detection mechanism of the fluorescent probe needs to be further studied. Herein, the density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) methods were adopted to explore the molecular structures and electronic spectra properties of probe and its product Pio after reacting with phosgene. Through analysis for molecular structure parameters and infrared vibrations accompanied with the hydrogen bond of Pi, it is confirmed that the intramolecular hydrogen bond of Pi is enhanced under light excitation, which illustrates the occurrence of ESIPT reaction combined with the scanned potential energy curves. It can be seen from the simulated spectra that Pi shows double fluorescence through ESIPT process, while the fluorescent product Pio exhibits the single fluorescence due to the disappearance of intramolecular hydrogen bond. Through the study on the structure and optical properties of Pi and Pio, it can be helpful to deeply understand the intrinsic mechanism of the detection of phosgene by the Pi molecule probe, which also supplies a reference to the further study about the fluorescence probe.

Quantum Chemical Characterization and Design of Quantum Dots for Sensing Applications

The ability to tune the optoelectronic properties of quantum dots (QDs) makes them ideally suited for the use as fluorescence sensing probes. The vast structural diversity in terms of the composition and size of QDs can make designing a QD for a specific sensing application a challenging process. Quantum chemical calculations have the potential to aid this process through the characterization of the properties of QDs, leading to their in silico design. This is explored in the context of QDs for the fluorescence sensing of dopamine based upon density functional theory and time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) calculations. The excited states of hydrogenated carbon, silicon, and germanium QDs are characterized through TDDFT calculations. Analysis of the molecular orbital diagrams for the isolated molecules and calculations of the excited states of the dopamine-functionalized quantum dots establish the possibility of a photoinduced electron-transfer process by determining the relative energies of the electronic states formed from a local excitation on the QD and the lowest QD → dopamine electron-transfer state. The results suggest that the Si₁₆₅H₁₀₀ and Ge₈₄H₆₄ QDs have the potential to act as fluorescent markers that could distinguish between the oxidized and reduced forms of dopamine, where the fluorescence would be quenched for the oxidized form. The work contributes to a better understanding of the optical and electronic behavior of QD-based sensors and illustrates how quantum chemical calculations can be used to inform the design of QDs for specific fluorescent sensing applications.

A Review on the Antimicrobial Activity of Schiff Bases: Data Collection and Recent Studies

Schiff bases (SBs) have extensive applications in different fields such as analytical, inorganic and organic chemistry. They are used as dyes, catalysts, polymer stabilizers, luminescence chemosensors, catalyzers in the fixation of CO₂ biolubricant additives and have been suggested for solar energy applications as well. Further, a wide range of pharmacological and biological applications, such as antimalarial, antiproliferative, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antipyretic, antibacterial and antifungal uses, emphasize the need for SB synthesis. Several SBs conjugated with chitosan have been studied in order to enhance the antibacterial activity of chitosan. Moreover, the use of the nanoparticles of SBs may improve their antimicrobial effects. Herein, we provide an analytical overview of the antibacterial and antifungal properties of SBs and chitosan-based SBs as well as SBs-functionalized nanoparticles. The most relevant and recent literature was reviewed for this purpose.

Organotin Schiff bases as halofluorochromic dyes: green synthesis, chemio-photophysical characterization, DFT, and their fluorescent bioimaging in vitro

Fluorescent bioimaging is an excellent tool in cellular biology, and it will be a powerful technique in modern medicine as a noninvasive imaging technology where tumoral and normal cells must be distinguished. One of the differences between normal and cancer cells is the intracellular pH. Therefore, the design and synthesis of pH-responsive fluorescent materials are required. Organotin Schiff bases showed halofluorochromic behavior in solution. Microwave-assisted synthesis showed better reaction times and chemical yields compared with conventional heating. All compounds were fully characterized by spectroscopic and spectrometric techniques. The halofluorochromism study showed that some molecules in acidic media have the maximum luminescence intensity due to protonation. All the fluorescent tin complexes showed cell staining on hepatocyte and MCF-7 cells by confocal microscopy. The theoretical study has enabled us to rationalize the optical properties and the halofluorochromism for compounds 1 and 2 synthesized in this work. Our results showed that the emission decrease, in the acid and basic media for compounds 1 and 2, respectively, is caused by intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) deactivation.

New Sensitive and Selective Chemical Sensors for Ni2+ and Cu2+ Ions: Insights into the Sensing Mechanism through DFT Methods

We report the synthesis and theoretical study of two new colorimetric chemosensors with special selectivity and sensitivity to Ni²⁺ and Cu²⁺ ions over other metal cations in the CH₃CN/H₂O solution. Compounds (E)-4-((2-nitrophenyl)diazenyl)-N,N-bis(pyridin-2-ylmethyl)aniline (A) and (E)-4-((3-nitrophenyl)diazenyl)-N,N-bis(pyridin-2-ylmethyl)aniline (B) exhibited a drastic color change from yellow to colorless, which allows the detection of the mentioned metal cations through different techniques. The interaction of sensors with these metal ions induced a new absorption band with a hypsochromic shift to the characteristic signal of the free sensors. A theoretical study via time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) was performed. This method has enabled us to reproduce the hypsochromic shift in the maximum UV-vis absorption band and explain the selective sensing of the ions. For all of the systems studied, the absorption band is characterized by a π → π* transition centered in the ligand. Instead of Ni²⁺ and Cu²⁺ ions, the transition is set toward the σ* molecular orbital with a strong contribution of the 3d_x²-_y² transition (π → 3d_x²-_y²). These absorptions imply a ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT) mechanism that results in the hypsochromic shift in the absorption band of these systems.

A Review on Schiff Base Fluorescent Chemosensors for Cell Imaging Applications

Fluorescent determinations of analytes have proven to be a powerful method due to their simplicity, low cost, detection limit, rapid photoluminescence response, and applicability to bioimaging. Fluorescence imaging as a powerful tool for monitoring biomolecules within the living systems. Schiff base has been extensively used as strongly absorbing and colorful chromophores in the design of chemosensors. In recent years, Schiff base based fluorescent probes have been developed for the detection of various toxic analytes and imaging of various analytes in biological systems. This review gives an overview of the important fluorescent sensors which are based on Schiff base, their approaches for molecular recognition, and their potential application in bioimaging studies.

Integrating Suitable Linkage of Covalent Organic Frameworks into Covalently Bridged Inorganic/Organic Hybrids toward Efficient Photocatalysis

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are excellent platforms with tailored functionalities in photocatalysis. There are still challenges in increasing the photochemical performance of COFs. Therefore, we designed and prepared a series of COFs for photocatalytic hydrogen generation. Varying different ratios of β-ketoenamine to imine moieties in the linkages could differ the ordered structure, visible light harvesting, and bandgap. Overall, β-ketoenamine-linked COFs exhibited much better photocatalytic activity than those COFs having both β-ketoenamine and imine moieties on account of a nonquenched excited state and more favorable HOMO level in the photoinduced oxidation reaction from the former. Specifically, after in situ growth of β-ketoenamine-linked COFs onto NH₂-Ti₃C₂T_x MXene via covalent connection, the heterohybrid showed an obvious improvement in photocatalytic H₂ evolution because of strong covalent coupling, electrical conductivity, and efficient charge transfer. This integrated linkage evolution and covalent hybridization approach advances the development of COF-based photocatalysts.