Detecting the micellization of anionic surfactants by a colorimetric and fluorescent probe based on electrostatic attraction

A novel amidine-based fluorescent probe TPE-4+ for rapid detection of anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate

An accurate, fast, and simple surfactant detection method is of great significance for monitoring surfactants pollution. Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) is one of the most commonly used anionic surfactants and has been listed as an important monitoring pollutant for surfactant residues. Herein, a novel fluorescent probe named TPE-4+ with four amidines as the recognition functional group and tetraphenylethene as the fluorophore was fabricated. Due to the special intramolecular environment, the probe showed selectively identification towards SDS which made an aggregation induced fluorescence enhencement. Under the optimum conditions, the fluorescence enhencement of TPE-4+ is linearly related to the concentration of SDS in the range of 5.0-60.0 μM with limit of detection (LOD) of 0.010 μM and limit of quantification (LOQ) of 0.034 μM. Relative to the reported methods, the probe in our work showed better selectivity and sensitivity. The proposed method was successfully applied for the SDS determination of disinfecting bowls.

Group 14 Metallafluorenes as Sensitive Luminescent Probes of Surfactants in Aqueous Solution

Sila- and germafluorenes containing alkynyl(aryl) substituents at the 2,7- position are strongly emissive with high quantum yields in organic solvents. Provided they are sufficiently soluble in water, their hydrophobic structures have the potential for many biological and industrial applications in the detection and characterization of lipophilic structures. To that end, the emission behaviors of previously synthesized 2,7- bis[alkynyl(biphenyl)]-9,9-diphenylsilafluorene (1), 2,7- bis[alkynyl(methoxynaphthyl)]-9,9-diphenylgermafluorene (2), 2,7- bis[alkynyl(p-tolyl)]-9,9-diphenylsilafluorene (3), and 2,7- bis[alkynyl(m-fluorophenyl)]-9,9-diphenylsilafluorene (4) were characterized in aqueous solution and in the presence of various surfactants. Despite a high degree of hydrophobicity, all of these metallafluorenes (MFs) are soluble in aqueous solution at low micromolar concentrations and luminesce in a common aqueous buffer. Further, the 2,7 substituent makes the emission behavior tunable (up to 30 nm). Fold emission enhancements in the presence of various surfactants are highest toward Triton X-100 and CTAB (ranging from 5 to 25 fold) and are lowest for the anionic surfactants SDS and SDBS. These enhancements are competitive with existing probes of surfactants. Quantum yields in buffer range from 0.11 to 0.34, competitive with many common fluorophores in biological use. Strikingly, MF quantum yields in the presence of TX-100 and CTAB approach 100 % quantum efficiency. MF anisotropies are dramatically increased only in the presence of TX-100, CTAB, and CHAPS. Coupled with the above data, this suggests that MFs associate with neutral and charged surfactant aggregates. Interactions with the anionic surfactants are weaker and/or leave MFs solvent exposed. These properties make metallafluorenes competitive probes for surfactants and their properties and behaviors, and thus could also have important biological applications.

Surfactant Aggregates Encapsulating and Modulating: An Effective Way to Generate Selective and Discriminative Fluorescent Sensors

The heterogeneous structure and dynamic balancing nature of surfactant aggregates make them attractive in developing fluorescent sensors. They can provide a number of advantages, e.g., enhanced fluorescence stability and quantum yield, detection capability in aqueous solutions, and easy operation. Thus, various strategies have been used to construct surfactant aggregate-based fluorescent sensors. Surfactant aggregates play various roles in different strategies and realize multiple sensing behaviors. Many new functions have been discovered for surfactant aggregates in constructing fluorescent sensors. In this feature article, we briefly summarize the development of surfactant aggregate-based fluorescent sensors and their applications in three different types of sensing: selective sensing, multiple analyte sensing, and cross-reactive sensing. For each type of sensing, the design strategies and the roles of surfactant aggregates are particularly introduced. An understanding of these aspects will help to expand the applications of surfactant assemblies in the sensing field.

Fluorescence detection of Fe(3+) ions in aqueous solution and living cells based on a high selectivity and sensitivity chemosensor

Although ferric ion (Fe(3+)) performs critical roles in diverse biochemical processes in living systems, its physiological and pathophysiological functions have not been fully explored due to the lack of methods for quantification of Fe(3+) ions in biological system. In this work, a highly sensitive and selective fluorescence chemosensor, L, was developed for the detection of Fe(3+) ions in aqueous solution and in living cells. L was facile synthesized by one step reaction and well characterized by NMR, API-ES, FT-IR, and elementary analysis. The prepared chemosensor displayed excellent selectivity for Fe(3+) ions detection over a wide range of tested metal ions. In the present of Fe(3+) ions, the strong green fluorescence of L was substantially quenched. The 1:1 stoichiometry of the complexation was confirmed by a Job's plot. The association constant (Ka) of L with Fe(3+) was evaluated using the Benesi-Hildebrand method and was found to be 1.36×10(4) M(-1). The MTT assay determined that L exhibits low cytotoxicity toward living cells. Confocal imaging and flow cytometry studies showed that L is readily interiorized by MDA-MB-231 cells through an energy-dependent pathway and could be used to detect of Fe(3+) ions in living cells.