Modulation of Fluorescence properties of 5-Aminoquinoline by Ag+ in aqueous media via charge transfer

Effect of Zn2+ on emodin molecules studied by time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy and quantum chemical calculations

Emodin is a natural drug for treating neurodegenerative diseases and plays a vital role in the mitigation of nerve damage. Metal ions can modify the drug properties of emodin, where Zn²⁺ can synergize with the emodin molecule and enhance the drug effect of emodin. Besides, complex changes can be observed in the fluorescence intensity and fluorescence lifetime of the emodin molecule as the concentration of Zn²⁺ increases. Herein, the synergistic effects of ligand structural in Zn(II)-Emodin complexes and the electronic effects of metal elements on the antioxidant properties of the complexes are discussed in detail based on UV-vis absorption spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) technique and quantum chemical calculations at the B3LYP/6-31G(d) level. The experimental results confirm that Zn²⁺ can coordinate with the hydroxyl groups on the emodin to make the molecule structure more rigid, thus inhibiting the non-radiative processes such as high-frequency vibrations of the emodin molecule in solution. The suppression of non-radiative processes leads to an increase in the average fluorescence lifetime of the emodin molecule, and finally results in the enhanced fluorescence intensity. The chemical softness of Zn(II)-Emodin is then confirmed to be higher than that of emodin by Gaussian calculations, indicating its higher chemical reactivity and lower stability. The stronger electron donating ability of Zn(II)-Emodin compared to emodin may explain the higher antioxidant activity of Zn(II)-Emodin, which gives it a stronger pharmacological activity. The results of this study show that emodin can well complex with Zn²⁺ to remove excess Zn²⁺ in human body and the resulting complex has better antioxidant properties, which helps to understand the role of Zn²⁺ in drug-metal coordination and provides guidance for the design of new drugs.

Selectively probing ferric ions in aqueous environments using protonated and neutral forms of 7-azaindole as a multiparametric chemosensor

7-azaindole (7AI) dimer is a model molecule for DNA study and understanding the mutagenic behavior based on the excited-state proton transfer process in hydrogen-bonded networks. The neutral and protonated forms of 7AI monomer with significant fluorescence (FL) intensity fit the fluorescent sensor strategy to recognize selective metal ions. Out of several metal ions (Fe³⁺, Al³⁺, Fe²⁺, Pb²⁺, Ba²⁺, Ni²⁺, Zn²⁺, Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, Cu²⁺, Hg²⁺ and Cd²⁺), the absorption, fluorescence and fluorescence lifetime of 7AI in the aqueous medium are selectively sensitive to the ferric (Fe³⁺) ions. The absolute value of absorption intensity increases linearly with concentration of a particular metal ions. FL intensity of both the forms of 7AI decreases gradually with Fe³⁺ ions and trails the linear Stern-Volmer relation. The formation of non-fluorescent complexes was confirmed with Benesi-Hildebrand and Job plots, along with FL and FL decays. The FL lifetime of the protonated form of 7AI, which is 0.83 ± 0.01 ns, is nearly constant with Fe³⁺ ions concentrations, confirming the static quenching mechanism. The limit of detection (LoD) of Fe³⁺ ions over the long range of 16-363 µM for the neutral and protonated forms of 7AI is 0.46 ± 0.02 and 0.49 ± 0.02 µM, respectively, estimated using FL spectra. Additionally, the linear plot of absorbance with Fe³⁺ ions of both the forms of 7AI can also act as a calibration curve with very close LoDs, as obtained by FL spectra. Thus, the multi-parameters-based probe for detecting the Fe³⁺ ions over long-range in real aqueous environments with operational, high sensitivity, fast response (< 5 s), and good selectivity (over 12 metal ions) is undoubtedly a superior approach over other methods.

Spectroscopic Recognition of Metal Ions and Non-Linear Optical (NLO) Properties of Some Fluorinated Poly(1,3,4-Oxadiazole-Ether)s

In this paper, we examined the sensing ability of some fluorinated 1,3,4-oxadiazole-containing assemblies toward various metal ions and their nonlinear optical (NLO) properties. The changes in the spectral characteristics of these compounds in the existence of Mg2+, Mn2+, Ni2+, Cd2+, Zn2+, Co2+, Cu2+, Hg2+, Sn2+, and Ag+ metal ions were performed, and they were found to be selective and more sensitive toward the addition of Ag+, Co2+, and Cu2+ ions (new bands appeared). Instead, spectral changes in the presence of Mg2+, Mn2+, Ni2+, Cd2+, Zn2+, Hg2+, and Sn2+ were not significant, so we did not evaluate the corresponding binding parameters. Therefore, all of these compounds were found to be selective and sensitive to Ag+, Co2+, and Cu2+ ions. Furthermore, the first-order polarizability (αCT), the first-order hyperpolarizability (βCT), and the second-order hyperpolarizability (γCT) were evaluated using the solvatochromic approach, and the intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) characteristics were investigated using a generalized Mulliken–Hush (GMH) analysis.

Solvatochromism and estimation of ground and excited state dipole moments of 6-aminoquinoline

The spectral behaviour of 6AQ was investigated using fluorescence spectroscopy in several polar and non-polar solvents. Both the absorption and fluorescence spectra displayed solvatochromism. The Stokes shift increased significantly with increasing solvent polarity and signifies a more polar excited state with possible change in the excited state (ES) geometry. The involvement of π→π^∗ transition was observed. The ground state (GS) and excited state (ES) dipole moments were determined by the solvatochromic shift method using Bilot-Kawaski, Lippert-Mataga, Kawski-Chamma-Viallet, and Reichardt equations. The experimental value of GS dipole moment matches closely with the theoretical value computed using DFT/B3LYP/6-311G(d,p). The ES dipole moment is higher than the GS dipole moment. Besides, the solvatochromic study reveals that the ES of 6AQ is more polarized than the GS due to intramolecular charge transfer (ICT), possibly aided by a change in the geometry of the molecule in the ES. The influence of the non-specific and specific interactions in the photophysical properties of the titled molecule was analyzed using the Catalan scale. The study shows that 6AQ has reasonable band-gap energy and good CIE chromaticity coordinate in the blue region close to the national television standard committee system (NTSC) for the ideal blue CIE coordinate. Therefore, future research into 6AQ as a source of light-emitting diodes and fluorescent sensors may have potential applications in the field of optoelectronics.

Cholesteric Molecular Tweezer Artificial Receptor for Rapid and Highly Selective Detection of Ag+ in Food Samples

Chiral cholesteric molecular tweezer 7a was synthesized, and its recognition properties for Ag⁺, Al³⁺, Ca²⁺ etc., were investigated by UV and fluorescence spectra. The results showed that in ethanol/Tris (1/1, v/v, pH 7.0) buffer solution, the host molecular tweezer 7a had a specific recognition ability for Ag⁺, the detection limit was up to 1 × 10⁻⁶ mol/L, and other metal ions had little effect on Ag⁺ recognition. At the same time, the naked-eye detection of Ag⁺ was realized by the light red color of the complex solution. Furthermore, the mechanism of recognition of Ag⁺ by molecular tweezer 7a was studied by a nuclear magnetic titration test and computer molecular simulation, and a rapid detection method of Ag⁺ using host molecular tweezer 7a was established. Through the determination of Ag⁺ in milk powder, quinoa and other food samples, it was proved that this novel method had a good application prospect for the detection of Ag⁺ in food.

Structural, Electronic and NLO Properties of 6-aminoquinoline: A DFT/TD-DFT Study

A computational study based on the DFT/TD-DFT approach was performed to explore various properties of 6-aminoquinoline (6AQ). The geometrical parameters, molecular orbitals (MOs), electronic spectra, electrostatic potential, molecular surface, reactivity parameters and thermodynamic properties of 6AQ were explored. The absorption and emission spectra of 6AQ in solvents have been estimated by TD-DFT coupled with the PCM model and correlated with the available experimental results. Depending on the solvents, the computed absorption maxima of 6AQ were noticed between 327 nm - 340 nm and ascribed to [Formula: see text] transition. The simulated emission maxima were obtained between 389 to 407 nm and ascribed to [Formula: see text] transition. On increasing the solvent polarity, both the emission and absorption maxima showed a bathochromic shift. The LUMO and HOMO were localized on the entire molecule. It was observed that the lowest excited state is possibly the [Formula: see text] charge-transfer (CT) state. The natural bonding orbital (NBO) study points out that ICT plays a significant role in stabilizing the molecular system. Moreover, the NLO (nonlinear optical) properties (polarizability, first-order hyperpolarizability and dipole moment) were computed using different hybrid functionals. The estimated values indicate that 6AQ can be considered a desirable molecule for further studies of the NLO applications.

A Novel Turn on Fluorescence Sensor for Determination Enoxaparin, a Low Molecular Weight Heparin

A sensor system was designed for the detection of Enoxaparin (Enox), a low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) that was run over the fluorescence quenching mechanism of fluorescein (FL) dye. At nanomolar concentrations, FL probe was subjected to fluorescence quenching by Fe(III). Fluorescence quenching mechanism of FL by Fe(III) was examined using various analytical techniques such as UV-vis absorption, fluorescence, and Fourier transform Infrared spectroscopy techniques, as well as with scanning electron microscope. The results indicated that photoinduced electron transfer process occurred between FL and Fe and that FL was quenched both statically and dynamically. Thermodynamic parameters showed that the interactions between them were predominantly hydrophobic interactions. Enox caused FL to recover its lost fluorescence properties and an increase was observed in the intensity of the fluorescence. Enox was detected successfully with the turn on fluorescence sensor. The developed Enox biosensor exhibited linearity in the range of 0-1.1 μg/ml. For Enox detection, the limit of detection was measured as 255 ng/mL. Enox biosensor was presented as a practical, simple, and applicable sensor system with high sensitivity and good selectivity. Enox is a medication usually monitored indirectly over anticoagulation. This study was presented as an alternative method for monitoring Enox directly. HIGHLIGHTS: Fluorescence quenching of Fluorescein dye by Fe(III) was studied in detail. The presence of enoxaparin enhanced the fluorescence properties of the fluorescein dye. A sensitive, simple and effective sensor system for determination of Enoxaparin, a low molecular weight heparin was shaped in the aqueous media. It was presented as a new method for Enoxaparin to be followed directly.