Trimethylammonium Iodide Research Articles

Impact of hydroxyethyl headgroup on long-chain quaternary ammonium cationic surfactants: Solubility, surface activities, self-assembly behaviors, and rheological properties

The incorporation of hydroxy groups into long-chain quaternary ammonium surfactants can enhance their solubility and confer other desirable properties; however, the systematic investigation on the solution properties and the influence of molecular structures was less documented. In this work, two saturated C18-tailed quaternary ammonium surfactants with dual hydroxyethyl moieties, namely N,N-bis(2-hydroxyethyl)-N-methyloctadecan-1-aminium iodide (HEOAI) and N,N-bis(2-hydroxypropyl)-N-methyloctadecan-1-aminium iodide (HPOAI), were designed and synthesized. We investigated and compared their Krafft temperature (Tk), surface activities, self-assembly behaviors, and rheological properties. Our findings demonstrate that the introduction of hydroxyethyl groups dramatically improves the solubility and surface activities. The Tk of HEOAI and HPOAI is approximately 50 °C lower than that of the corresponding surfactant octadecyl trimethylammonium iodide. Both surfactants exhibit lower critical micelle concentration and equilibrium surface tension compared to those of corresponding conventional quaternary ammonium surfactant. This should be ascribed to the formation of hydrogen bonds between hydroxyl groups and water molecules. Moreover, HPOAI shows even better solubility and surface activities than HEOAI does. Additionally, the presence of two more methyl groups for HPOAI enhances its ability to form worm-like micelles in pure water. However, HEOAI shows better salt and temperature resistance for maintaining stability of worm-like micelles. A solution containing 50 mM HEOAI with 10 % NaCl exhibits temperature tolerance up to around 80 °C, indicating potential application as fracturing fluid for shallow and medium oil/gas reservoirs. These findings contribute to designing surfactants with improved solubility and diverse properties.

Fast and sustainable CO2 conversion to propylene carbonate using fluoroalcohol-based bifunctional ionic liquids: Insights from experiments and theoretical simulations

We report on the metal-free and rapid catalytic conversion of carbon dioxide into cyclic carbonates under solventless conditions utilizing novel bifunctional fluoroalcohol-based ionic liquids (FBILs) as catalsyts. In the presence of 2.5 mol% 4-(1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-hydroxyisopropyl) phenyl trimethylammonium iodide (FBIL-1), under 0.1 MPa and 90 °C, excellent yield of propylene carbonate(>95%) was achieved in 1 h, which significantly shortens the reaction time, compared with the conventional catalysts. DFT calculations reveal that FBILs with fluorine-substituted hydroxyl groups exhibit stronger hydrogen bonding with epoxides compared to ILs lacking fluorine substitutions. The hydrogen bond length for ILF/PO is 1.658 Å, shorter than that for IL/PO (1.813 Å). This characteristic contributes to reducing the activation energy for the ring-opening reaction of epoxides. In the ILF/PO system, the reaction barrier is 88.72 kJ·mol−1, lower than the 101.46 kJ·mol−1 barrier for IL/PO, allowing the former to more rapidly facilitate the fixation of carbon dioxide into cyclic carbonates. Besides high catalytic efficiency, these FBILs have the characteristics of a facile synthesis route and easy post-reaction recovery.

Synthesis and characterization of a novel salicylaldehyde schiff base of S-(ferrocenylmethyl)dithiocarbazate by a modified method

Schiff bases of S-substituted dithiocarbazates are limited to methyl (SMDTC), benzyl (SBDTC), substituted benzyl, hexyl, and few other dithiocarbazates. Despite of the potential applications of dithiocarbazate Schiff bases and their metal complexes, S-substituted dithiocarbazates with other substituents have not reported yet. This study demonstrated a low-cost and easily-synthesizable alternative method of a novel series of S-substituted dithiocarbazate Schiff bases by synthesis and characterization of salicylaldehyde Schiff base of S-(ferrocenylmethyl)dithiocarbazate. After synthesis of potassium dithiocarbazate (KDTC) by the conventional method, the KDTC oil was reacted with salicylaldehyde and the solid thus obtained was reacted with (ferrocenylmethyl)trimethylammonium iodide to get the target compound. The synthesized compound was characterized by the single crystal X-ray crystallograpy, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, FTIR, Mass, and UV–visible spectroscopy. The spectral and single crystal X-ray analyses showed that the synthesized target compound was compatible with the proposed molecular formula, that was existed as a dimer with the fused ring polymeric structure. The target compound was belonged to the monoclinic crystal family and centrosymmetric space group, P 121/n1, a = 8.539 (Å), b = 6.315 (Å), c = 11.846 (Å), α = 90.00 (°), β = 108.02 (°), and γ = 90.00 (°) with the formula, C38H36Fe2N4O2S4 in the unit cell.

A fixed-charge model of the N-protomer of 4-aminobenzoic acid to facilitate the study of the unimolecular and bimolecular chemistry of its "neutral" carboxylic acid group.

There are a growing number of examples of protomers formed via electrospray ionization (ESI) that do not fragment under mobile proton conditions, giving rise to distinct tandem mass spectra. To model the N-protomer of 4-aminobenzoic acid, here we study the gas-phase unimolecular and bimolecular chemistry of the 4-(carboxyphenyl)trimethylammonium ion. 4-(Carboxyphenyl)trimethylammonium iodide was synthesized, purified via recrystallization and transferred to the gas phase via ESI. 4-(Carboxyphenyl)trimethylammonium ion, 7, was mass selected and subjected to collision-induced dissociation and ion-molecule reactions in a linear ion trap mass spectrometer. The major fragmentation channel for the fixed-charge cation 7 is methyl radical loss, whereas loss of trimethylamine and CO2 represents minor pathways. The free carboxylic acid functional group of 7 is unreactive toward a number of neutral reagents (methanol, acetone, acetonitrile, and N,N'-diisopropylcarbodiimide). 7 reacts very slowly with trimethylborate via addition-elimination, consistent with density functional theory (DFT) calculations that show this reaction is slightly endothermic. The deuterated cation 7(D) undergoes slow D/H exchange with ethanol, and DFT calculations reveal that a flip-flop mechanism operates. The free carboxylic group of 7 is not very reactive toward neutral reagents in the gas phase.

The role of hydrophobic molecules in the optoelectronical attributes of triple-cation perovskite solar cells

The partial modification of perovskite cations has already been done to stabilize perovskite solar cells (PSCs). In this study, Cs/FA/MA triple-cation (3D) perovskite and PTA2PbI4 (2D)/3D perovskite were used as light-absorbing materials in PSCs. Phenyl trimethylammonium iodide (PTAI) was also used as a passivator. It was found that PTAI can serve as an original PTA two-dimensional (2D) cation and as a basis for the formation of 2D/3D heterostructure films. Since an improper post-annealing temperature leads to the uncontrollable degradation of 3D perovskites, this study examines post-annealing at various temperatures to make a 2D perovskite film on a 3D perovskite layer. The proper post-annealing temperature to make a 2D/3D structure was 150 °C exerted for five minutes. Through PTAI post-treatment in these optimum conditions, the morphology of the perovskite layer was improved, which confirms the facilitation of the charge transfer. Indeed, a 2D/3D heterostructure originating from a PTAI solution serves as a film to protect perovskite layer from destruction and improves charge transfer. Therefore, the treatment of perovskite layers, as practiced in this study, can enhances the stability and the efficiency of hole-transport-free PSCs and predispose their industrial production. The efficiency of the optimized device was enhanced for 35 % in comparison to the control samples. The device could also maintain 90 % of its PCE for 177 days.

Pyridinium and ammonium stable isotope labeling agents and their performance in the analysis of alkylamines in food and food packaging materials

Two pairs of stable isotope labeling (SIL) agents, (4-carboxyphenyl)trimethylammonium iodide (d0-CPTA) and its deuterated counterpart d3-CPTA, 1-methyl-nicotinamide iodide (d0-MNA) and its deuterated counterpart d3-MNA, were designed and synthesized. Their mass spectrometry (MS) sensitivity enhancement effect was studied and compared with commercial dansyl chloride to provide inspiration for labeling agent design. CPTA with quaternary ammonium group showed much higher MS sensitivity enhancement effect and was applied to the SIL analysis of alkylamines in food and food packaging materials. The matrix effect was minimized due to the SIL strategy and the permanent charge of the CPTA. The limits of detection (LODs) were in the range of 2.9–5.1 ng/L, and the limits of quantitation (LOQs) were in the range of 9.6–16.8 ng/L. The recoveries ranged from 91.2 % to 97.1 % with relative standard deviations of less than 6.6 %, and the matrix effect ranged from −1.8 % to −4.9 %.

Monoselective N-Methylation of Amides, Indoles, and Related Structures Using Quaternary Ammonium Salts as Solid Methylating Agents.

We herein report the use of phenyl trimethylammonium iodide (PhMe3NI) as a safe, nontoxic, and easy-to-handle reagent for an absolutely monoselective N-methylation of amides and related compounds as well as for the N-methylation of indoles. In addition, we expanded the method to N-ethylation using PhEt3NI. The ease of operational setup, high yields of ≤99%, high functional group tolerance, and especially the excellent monoselectivity for amides make this method attractive for late-stage methylation of bioactive compounds.

Dead volume-free flow splitting in capillary electrophoresis.

In recent years, several dual detection concepts (DDCs) for CE were developed, which consisted of at least one nondestructive detector. For these DDCs, a linear detector arrangement could be used, which is not possible when both detectors are destructive. To overcome this problem, we developed a concept for the splitting of the CE stream utilizing commercially available flow splitters (FSs) that allow the parallel positioning of two destructive detectors. In this proof-of-concept study, T- and Y-shaped FSs were characterized regarding their suitability for DDCs. To keep it simple, a UV detector (UV) and a C4 D were used for the characterization. The model system consisted of an acetonitrile-based background electrolyte and the two model substances, (ferrocenylmethyl)trimethylammonium iodide and caffeine. CE hyphenated to a UV detector (CE-UV) measurements revealed that the split ratio was about 50% for both FSs. CE-C4 D was used to evaluate the peak shape in front of and behind the FSs. These measurements showed that there was no significant peak broadening introduced by the FSs. Additionally, there were no changes in the LODs in front of and behind the FSs. Furthermore, the flexibility of the new FS approach allowed the usage of capillaries with different ids (25-75µm) for injection and detection.

Selective α-Methylation of Aryl Ketones Using Quaternary Ammonium Salts as Solid Methylating Agents.

We describe the use of phenyl trimethylammonium iodide (PhMe3NI) as an alternative methylating agent for introducing a CH3 group in α-position to a carbonyl group. Compared to conventional methylating agents, quaternary ammonium salts have the advantages of being nonvolatile, noncancerogenic, and easy-to-handle solids. This regioselective method is characterized by ease of operational setup, use of anisole as green solvent, and yields up to 85%.

Dual-Mode Sensing Platform Guided by Intramolecular Electrochemiluminescence of a Ruthenium Complex and Cationic N,N-Bis(2-(trimethylammonium iodide)propylene) Perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxydiimide for Estradiol Assay.

Herein, a dual-mode sensing platform using cationic N,N-bis(2-(trimethylammonium iodide)propylene)perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxydiimide (PDA+)-assembled DNA strands as a quencher was suggested for estradiol (E2) detection. The aptamer chain was initially anchored with the Ru(II) novel molecule (Ru complex), which was recombined with carbohydrazide (CON4H6) and tris(4,4'-dicarboxylicacid-2,2'-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II) dichloride [Ru(dcbpy)32+] modified on copper oxide (CuO) nanospheres. Intramolecular electrochemiluminescence (ECL) occurring between CON4H6 and Ru(dcbpy)32+ effectively improved the reaction rate and increased the ECL efficiency. By employing effective van der Waals' force, PDA+ was endowed with an efficient ECL quenching probe on an electrode. The signal on the ECL interface can be converted into quenching because of energy transfer between the intercalator and the emitter. Notably, cationic PDA+ possessing a large planar π-π skeleton improved advantageous activity of redox and DNA aptamer indurative loading capacity and directly generated a well-defined cathodic peak to execute the EC bio-detection. This method not only avoids the difficulty of assembling various signal indicators but also improves the sensitivity greatly using the quenching mechanism. In addition, disparate double-response signals coming from different principles of transduction are in a position to verify each other to improve the accuracy. Hence, examination areas of 0.001-100 nM with E2 for ECL and EC were obtained, supplying a novel sensing strategy with promising ideas and perspectives of detection platform construction.

A stability study of carbonyl compounds in Tedlar bags by a fabricated MEMS microreactor approach

The analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in exhaled breath has a great potential as a noninvasive approach for early detection of lung cancer and other diseases. The stability of VOCs in sampling bags significantly affects quantification of target VOCs in exhaled breath. Carbonyl compounds are a subset of VOCs in exhaled breath and are more reactive than other VOCs in breath matrix. This work reports the stability of carbonyl compounds in exhaled breath collected in Tedlar bags. A silicon microreactor coated with 2-(aminooxy)ethyl-N, N, N trimethylammonium iodide (ATM) was used for chemoselective trapping trace carbonyl compounds in exhaled breath samples by means of oximation reactions. ATM-carbonyl adducts were measured using an ultra-high-performance liquid-chromatography-mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS). The results indicate that breath samples stored at ambient temperature can recover more than 80% of carbonyl compounds if the samples are processed within one hour. The recovery percentages of unsaturated aldehydes are much lower than that of saturated carbonyl compounds. The storage of breath samples at cold temperature (4 °C) can reduce degradation of carbonyl compounds. The recovery percentages of carbonyl compounds in breath samples of current smokers are slightly lower than that of nonsmokers.

Ferrocenylmethylation of estrone and estradiol: Structure, electrochemistry, and antiproliferative activity of new ferrocene–steroid conjugates

Conjugates of ferrocene with steroidal estrogens as selective antiproliferative agents against hormone‐dependent breast cancer cells are believed to be limited by the inherent estrogenicity of the conjugates. Motivated by a significant cytotoxicity of the ester of ferrocenecarboxylic acid and the phenolic group of estradiol toward such a cell line, we decided to explore other a‐ring‐tethered ferrocene–estra‐1,3,5(10)‐triene conjugates; in this study, ferrocenylmethylation of estradiol and estrone with (ferrocenylmethyl)trimethylammonium iodide in the presence of potassium carbonate yielded five new compounds (1–5). In dimethylformamide, only O‐alkylated products formed (1 and 3), while a mixture of O‐ and C‐alkylated products was obtained when methanol was used (2, 4, and 5 in addition to 1 and 3). All compounds were characterized using 1D and 2D NMR, IR, UV–Vis, and high‐resolution mass spectrometry. Two of the conjugates, a 3‐O‐ and a 4‐C‐alkylated derivative of estrone (3 and 4, respectively), were also analyzed using single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction. A cyclic voltammetric investigation of the electrochemical properties of 1–5 was performed. While some of the compounds were shown to have a slight‐to‐moderate antiproliferative activity against at least one of the six tested human tumor cell lines and were nontoxic to (the noncancerous) fetal human fibroblasts, compound 2 (4‐(ferrocenylmethyl)estra‐1,3,5(10)‐triene‐3,17β‐diol) with an IC50 value of 0.34 μM was found to be more active against the hormone‐dependent breast cancer cell line MCF‐7 than doxorubicin. These results suggest that a‐ring substitution of steroidal estrogens is a plausible strategy for preparing other ferrocene–steroid conjugates acting against tumor cells.

In Situ Formation of Multifunctional DNA Nanospheres for a Sensitive and Accurate Dual-Mode Biosensor for Photoelectrochemical and Electrochemical Assay.

Herein a photoelectrochemical (PEC) and electrochemical (EC) dual-mode biosensor with cationic N,N-bis(2-(trimethylammonium iodide)propylene)perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxydiimide (PDA+)-decorated multifunctional DNA spheres in situ generated on an electrode was proposed for sensitive and accurate detection of miRNA-141. By employing a target-related ternary "Y" structure cleavage cycling reaction, the target DNA was converted into massive output DNA anchored on a TiO2 substrate, and hence triggering the rolling circle amplification (RCA) reaction. Upon addition of magnesium ions and PDA+, the long DNA tails of the RCA product were condensed in situ to form multifunctional DNA spheres. Notably, the distance between DNA spheres and TiO2 substrate was short, thus forming an effective PDA+-TiO2 sensitization structure with fast electron transfer for acquiring an extremely enhanced PEC signal with assistance of ascorbic acid (AA). Meanwhile, cationic PDA+ with a large planar π-π skeleton enabled favorable redox-activity and substantial loading on DNA spheres, directly producing an obviously well-defined cathodic peak for implementing EC biodetection on the same sensing platform. This approach not only avoided difficult assembly of diverse signal indicators but also significantly improved the sensitivity by utilizing cleavage cycling amplification and RCA strategies. Moreover, the distinct dual-response signals from two different transduction mechanisms and independent signal transduction can mutually support accuracy improvement. As a result, detection ranges of 0.1 fM to 1 nM for PEC and 2 fM to 500 pM for EC were obtained for miRNA-141, providing a universal and efficient biosensing method with promising applications in bioanalysis and early disease diagnosis.

Synthesis of Water-soluble Bottlebrush Polymer with Hydrophobic Core and Hydrophilic Shell as Cylindrical Host for Guest Uptake

A water-dispersible bottlebrush polymer with well-regulated length (300 nm) and width (20 nm) was developed for uptake of hydrophobic guest in aqueous media. This bottlebrush polymer was designed to adopt a core-shell structure, being composed of a polynorbornene backbone that is densely grafted with side chains with an AB diblock sequence (inside A block = polystyrene; outside B block = poly{[2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl]trimethylammonium iodide}. Owing to the cationically charged shell part, the core-shell type of bottlebrush polymer was stably dispersed in water and also was able to accommodate a hydrophobic guest chromophore at the core part.

Electrochemical lead(II) biosensor by using an ion-dependent split DNAzyme and a template-free DNA extension reaction for signal amplification.

A voltammetric biosensor for lead(II) (Pb2+) is described that is based on signal amplification by using an ion-dependent split DNAzyme and template-free DNA extension reaction. The Pb2+-dependent split DNAzyme was assembled on gold nanoparticles (Au@Fe3O4),and this nanoprobe then was exposed to Pb2+ which causes the split-off of DNAzymes to release primers containing 3'-OH groups (S1 and S2). The template-free DNA extension reaction triggers the generation of long ssDNA nanotails, which thencan bind the free redox probe N,N'-bis(2-(trimethylammonium iodide)propylene)perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxyldiimide (PDA+) via electrostatic adsorption. Hence, the concentration of PDA+ in solution is reduced. Therefore, less free PDA+ can be immobilized on a glassy carbon electrodemodified with electrodeposited gold nanoparticles (depAu) to produce an electrochemical signal, typically measured at ∼0.38V (vs. SCE) for quantitation of Pb2+. The use of a Pb2+-dependent split DNAzyme avoids the usage of a proteinic enzyme. It also increases the sensitivity of the sensor which has a lower detection limit of 30 pM of Pb2+. Graphical abstract Novel electrochemical biosensor based on the amplification of ion-dependent split DNAzyme and template-free DNA extension reaction for trace detection of Pb2+.

Structure-property relationships via complementary hydrodynamic approaches: Poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate)s

Here we present a combined analytical study of a homological series of poly(2-(dimethylamino)-ethyl methacrylate)s (DMAEMA) and their corresponding with methyl iodide quaternized versions poly[2-(methacryloyloxy) ethyl] trimethyl-ammonium iodide]s (QDMAEMA) in a wide range of molar masses (~7 to ~300kDa) and low dispersities (~1.1 to ~1.3). The polymers were studied predominantly in 0.2MNaCl in water at T=20.0°C applying mutually reinforcing's set of hydrodynamic methods, such as, viscometry, analytical ultracentrifugation, dynamic light scattering, isothermal diffusion and size exclusion chromatography. The manuscript provide compulsory discussions on the evaluation of physically sound values of the molar masses, hydrodynamic sizes and conformations of the macromolecules in solution. Special attention is paid to the investigation of ion-specific interactions and their influence on the hydrodynamic and molecular characteristics. The conformation of polymer chains in solution was validatedvia the classical scaling equations showing θ-conditions – [η]=0.055M0.47±0.04;s=0.006M0.50±0.02;D=1200M-0.50±0.02 for the initial DMAEMAs polymer chains and thermodynamically good ones for the quaternized macromolecules characterized by [η]=0.002M0.80±0.04;s=0.0133M0.45±0.02;D=1665M−0.55±0.02. The equilibrium rigidity was found to be visibly influenced by the overall electrostatic interactions and the presence of closely associated iodine ions to the quaternized polymer chains giving A=4.4nm in comparison to A=2.4nm for the initial macromolecules.

Intramolecular electron transfer of light harvesting perylene-pyrene supramolecular conjugate.

Electronic interactions between the cationic N,N'-bis(2(trimethylammonium iodide) ethylene)perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxyldiimide (TAIPDI) with two electron donors, namely, pyrene (Py) and 1-pyrenesulfonic acid sodium salt (PySA), have been investigated. The spectroscopic studies showed the formation of the supramolecular conjugate between TAIPDI and PySA via ionic interaction, but not with Py. Density functional theory (DFT) combined with a natural energy decomposition analysis (NEDA) technique showed an S-like structure of the supramolecular conjugate TAIPDI-PySA via an ionic interaction. The formation constant of the TAIPDI-PySA supramolecular conjugate was determined to be 3.0 × 104 M-1, suggesting a fairly stable complex formation. The excited state events were monitored by both steady state and time-resolved emission techniques. Upon excitation, the quenching pathways via the singlet-excited states of TAIPDI and PySA involved the intramolecular electron transfer from the electron donating PySA to the electron accepting TAIPDI with a rate constant of 1.10 × 1011 s-1 and a quantum yield of 0.99. The thermodynamic parameters of the supramolecular TAIPDI-PySA conjugate have been determined using the stopped-flow technique.

General Synthesis of Unsymmetrical 3,3'-(Aza)diindolylmethane Derivatives.

Diindolylmethane (DIM) and its derivatives have recently been in the focus of interest due to their significant biological activities, specifically in cancer prevention and therapy. Molecular targets of DIM have been identified, e.g., the immunostimulatory G protein-coupled receptor GPR84. However, most of the reported and investigated DIM derivatives are symmetrical because general methods for obtaining unsymmetrical DIMs have been lacking. To optimize the interaction of DIM derivatives with their protein targets, unsymmetrical substitution is required. In the present study we developed a new, mild and efficient access to unsymmetrically substituted 3,3'-DIMs by reaction of (3-indolylmethyl)trimethylammonium iodides with a wide range of substituted indole derivatives. 7-Azaindole also led to the 3,3'-connected DIM analogue, while 4- and 5-azaindoles reacted at the N1-nitrogen atom as confirmed by X-ray crystallography. The reactions were performed in water without the requirement of a catalyst or other additives. Wide substrate scope, operational simplicity, environmentally benign workup, and high yields are further advantages of the new method. The synthetic protocol proved to be suitable for upscaling to yield gram amounts for pharmacological studies. This procedure will allow the preparation of a broad range of novel, unsymmetrical DIM derivatives to exploit their potential as novel drugs.

Novel Process for Preparation of Tetrabenazine and Deutetrabenazine

The present invention provides process for preparation of dihydroxy benzoquinoline compound (III) comprising reacting dihydroxy isoquinoline compound (IV) or a salt thereof with (2-acetyl-4-methyl-pentyl)-trimethyl-ammonium iodide (V) and further 5 converting it to tetrabenazine (I) and deutetrabenazine (II).

Synthesis of novel β-cyclodextrin functionalized S, N codoped carbon dots for selective detection of testosterone

A novel functionalized carbon dot has been synthesized by covalently linking β-cyclodextrin to the surface of N, S codoped carbon dots (β-CD-CDs). The characterization was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, infrared spectra, ultraviolet-visible, and fluorescence emission spectra. On the basis of this carbon dot and (ferrocenylmethyl) trimethylammonium iodide (Fc+), a photo-induced electron transfer (PET) fluorescent probe system was developed to determine the concentration of testosterone in water and identify testosterone in cell by fluorescence imaging as a visible biomarker. Under the optimum condition, the fluorescent intensity of the probe system linearly responded to the concentration of testosterone from 0μM to 280μM and the limit of detection was 0.51μM. This probe system also performed well at determining testosterone in groundwater with average recoveries of testosterone ranging from 96% to 107% at spiking levels of 0.5–100μM, and the relative standard deviation remained below 13%, which provided a reliable, rapid and easy method to determine testosterone in environmental water. Furthermore, the low cytotoxicity, high anti-interference ability, and excellent biocompatibility of β-CD-CDs made this probe system successfully used in cell fluorescence imaging to monitor levels of testosterone in the cytoplasm of cells with a promising application value in medical research.