title: An Ionic 1,4-Bis(styryl)benzene-Based Fluorescent Probe for Mercury(II) Detection in Water via Deprotection of the Thioacetal Group.
abstract: Highly sensitive and selective mercury detection in aqueous media is urgently needed because mercury poisoning usually results from exposure to water-soluble forms of mercury by inhalation and/or ingesting. An ionic conjugated oligoelectrolye (M1Q) based on 1,4-bis(styryl)benzene was synthesized as a fluorescent mercury(II) probe. The thioacetal moiety and quaternized ammonium group were incorporated for Hg2+recognition and water solubility. A neutral Hg2+probe (M1) was also prepared based on the same molecular backbone, and their sensor characteristics were investigated in a mixture of acetonitrile/water and in water. In the presence of Hg2+, the thioacetal group was converted to aldehyde functionality, and the resulting photoluminescence intensity decreased. In water, M1Q successfully demonstrated highly sensitive detection, showing a binding toward Hg2+that was ~15 times stronger and a signal on/off ratio twice as high, compared to M1 in acetonitrile/water. The thioacetal deprotection by Hg2+ions was substantially facilitated in water without an organic cosolvent. The limit of detection was measured to be 7 nM with a detection range of 10-180 nM in 100% aqueous medium.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cogno-Mechatronics Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Korea. vansang@pusan.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Van Sang
authors.initials: VS
authors.lastname: Le
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Korea. jieunj@korea.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Ji-Eun
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Jeong
authors.affiliation: Department of Cogno-Mechatronics Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Korea. huynhhuytuan510@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Huy Tuan
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Huynh
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Korea. brant0212@korea.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Jiae
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Korea. hywoo@korea.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Han Young
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Woo
keywords: aqueous media; chemosensor; conjugated oligoelectrolyte; fluorescent sensor; mercury