Detection of triethylamine on supramolecular 3-[(E)-(4- acetylphenyl)diazenyl]-4-hydroxybenzaldehyde compound

Abstract

Triethylamine (TEA) has been recognized as one of the sources for irritations that occurred in the system of respiratory, ocular, and dermal tissues. Therefore, the development of materials that able to detect the TEA is still highly required. In this work, the synthesis of a novel supramolecular azo compound for potential detection of TEA in solution, which was 3-[(E)-(4-acetylphenyl)diazenyl]-4-hydroxybenzaldehyde was reported. The successful formation of the azo compound was supported by the thin layer chromatography (TLC), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and ultraviolet- visible (UV-vis) spectroscopies. The TLC result showed different retention factor (Rf) values between the synthesized compound and its reactants, while the FTIR and the UV-vis spectra revealed the presence of C–N, C=O, C=N, and N=N groups that confirmed the formation of the azo compound. The detection of the TEA was examined by monitoring the changes of the azo compound absorbance before and after the addition of TEA. The higher concentration of the added TEA led to the higher absorbance at 467 nm. The linear plot between absorbance and TEA concentration indicated the potential use of the supramolecular azo compound to detect the TEA in solution.