Tetraarylimidazole-based fluorescence sensor for halosulfuron-methyl

Abstract

The fluorescence sensor for various guests had been studied widely based on their merits. Fluorescent probes for pesticide detection are of great significance, but there are few reports on the aspect. In this work, the first example of fluorescent sensor for pesticide halosulfuron-methyl was described based on bis-amido tetraphenylimidazole pyridinium salts (Bis-ATPM) prepared conveniently in 76 % yield. It exhibited the obvious “turn-on” blue-green fluorescence after sensing halosulfuron-methyl with excellent sensing selectivity among various ions and pesticides in aqueous media. The detection limitation was as low as 1.8 × 10−7 M. The 1:1 sensing mechanism was confirmed as that halosulfuron-methyl was located in the cavity of Bis-ATPM, resulting in the reduction of the non-radiative energy conduction and the increase of fluorescence emission. The sensing ability of Bis-ATPM for halosulfuron-methyl was effectively applied on the analysis of paper test, agricultural products and water samples, implying the excellent application prospect for Bis-ATPM on simple, rapid, and in-situ sensing halosulfuron-methyl in real environments.