Abstract
A new highly sensitive fluorescence sensor having two pyrenylacetamide moieties covalently bound to 2-[4-(2-aminoethylsulfanyl)butylsulfanyl]ethanamine was prepared via the ready synthetic approach using a conventional three-step synthesis. Its excimer and its sensing behavior towards metal ions were investigated by fluorescence spectroscopy. The results showed that the sensor exhibited bifunctional behaviors by sensitive sensing toward Cu2+ in ethanol and offered sensitive sensing toward Cu2+ and Hg2+ in aqueous methanol solutions. These high selectivities of the sensor were confirmed by an efficient quenching of the excimer bands of pyrenylacetamide at 480nm, whereas other ions including Ag+, Ca2+, Cd2+, K+, Mn2+, Na+, Pb2+ Zn2+, Ba2+, Fe2+, Li+, Mg2+ and Co2+ ions induced small or negligible spectral change. The detection limits of the sensor were approximately 0.6 and 0.8 ppb for Hg2+ and Cu2+, respectively, which were much lower than drinking water permission concentrations by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) and World Health Organization (WHO).
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