Electrochemical OFF–ON ratiometric chemodosimeters for the selective and rapid detection of fluoride

Abstract

We have described two “OFF–ON electrochemical latent ratiometric redox chemodosimeters”, 1,4-Bis(tert-butyldimethylsiloxy)benzene (H2Q′) and 1,4-Bis (tert-butyldimet hylsiloxy)-2-methoxybenzene (MH2Q′) for the selective detection of inorganic fluoride. The electrochemical signals of hydroquinone (H2Q) and o-methoxy hydroquinone (MH2Q) within this latent redox probes (H2Q′ and MH2Q′) were completely masked by protecting their hydroxyl group as silylether (OFF state). The externally added fluoride ions triggered the deprotection of H2Q′ and MH2Q′ and unmasked the electrochemical properties of H2Q and MH2Q respectively. The electrochemical reporters (H2Q and MH2Q) presented a pair of redox peaks at the electrode surface (ON state) and the peak currents are linearly dependent with the concentration of fluoride which leading to the ratiometric detection of fluoride. The limit of detection (signal-to-noise ratio=3) observed for the probes are 23.8µM and 2.38µM for H2Q′ and MH2Q′ respectively. The deprotection is highly selective for fluoride over other anions investigated. The probes are highly stable and the proposed approach offers rapid response time and promising practical applicability. The proposed strategy holds great promise for the commencement of new H2Q based electrochemical probes by tuning the electrochemical behavior of H2Q.