Triazole-based novel bis Schiff base colorimetric and fluorescent turn-on dual chemosensor for Cu2+ and Pb2+: application to living cell imaging and molecular logic gates

Abstract

A triazole-based novel bis Schiff base colorimetric and fluorescent chemosensor (L) has been designed, synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, 1H-NMR, ESI-MS, FTIR spectra and DFT studies. The receptor L showed selective and sensitive colorimetric sensing ability for Cu2+ and Pb2+ ions by changing color from colorless to yellow and light yellow respectively in CH3OH–tris-buffer (1 : 1, v/v). However, it displayed strong fluorescence enhancement upon the addition of both Cu2+ and Pb2+ ions, attributed to the blocking of PET. The fluorometric detection limits for Cu2+ and Pb2+ were found to be 12 × 10−7 M and 9 × 10−7 M and the colorimetric detection limits were 3.7 × 10−6 M and 1.2 × 10−6 M respectively; which are far below the permissible concentration in drinking water determined by WHO. Moreover, it was found that chemosensor L worked as a reversible fluorescence probe towards Cu2+ and Pb2+ ions by the accumulation of S2− and EDTA respectively. Based on the physicochemical and analytical methods like ESI-mass spectrometry, Job plot, FT-IR, 1H-NMR spectra and DFT studies the detection mechanism may be explained as metal coordination, photoinduced electron transfer (PET) as well as an internal charge transfer (ICT) process. The sensor could work in a pH span of 4.0–12.0. The chemosensor L shows its application potential in the detection of Cu2+ and Pb2+ in real samples, living cells and building of molecular logic gate.