Anion-directed structural tuning of two azomethine-derived Zn2+ complexes with optoelectronic recognition of Cu2+ in aqueous medium with anti-cancer activities: from micromolar to femtomolar sensitivity with DFT revelation

A family of Cd(II) coordination polymers constructed from 6-aminopicolinate and bipyridyl co-linkers: study of their growth in paper and photoluminescence sensing of Fe3+ and Zn2+ ions

In this work, we report on five novel coordination polymers (CPs) based on the linkage of the [Cd(6apic)2] building block [where 6apic = 6-aminopicolinate] by different bipyridine-type organic spacers, forming different coordination compounds with the following formulae: [Cd(μ-6apic)2]n (1), {[Cd(6apic)2(μ-bipy)]·H2O}n (2), {[Cd(6apic)2(μ-bpe)]·2H2O}n (3), [Cd(6apic)(μ-6apic)(μ-bpa)0.5]n (4) and {[Cd2(6apic)4(μ-tmbp)]·7H2O}n (5) [where bipy = 4,4'-bipyridine, bpe = 1,2-di(4-pyridyl)ethylene, bpa = 1,2-di(4-pyridyl)ethane (bpa) and tmbp = 1,3-di(4-pyridyl)propane]. Most of the synthesized compounds form infinite metal-organic rods through the linkage of the building block by the bipyridine-type linker, except in the case of compound 4 whose assembly forms a densely packed 3D architecture. All compounds were fully characterized and their photoluminescence properties were studied experimentally and computationally through density functional theory (DFT) calculations. All compounds display, upon UV excitation, a similar blue emission of variable intensity depending on the linker employed for the connection of the building units, among which compound 2 deserves to be highlighted for its room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) with an emission lifetime of 32 ms that extends to 79 ms at low temperature. These good photoluminescence properties, in addition to its stability in water over a wide pH range (between 2 and 10), motivated us to study compound 2 as a sensor for the detection of metal ions in water, and it showed high sensitivity to Fe3+ through a fluorescence turn-off mechanism and an unspecific turn-on response to Zn2+. Furthermore, the compound is processed as a paper-based analytical device (PAD) in which the phosphorescence emission is preserved, improving the sensing capacity toward Fe3+ ions.

Phenothiazine appended thiophene derivative: a trilateral approach to copper ion detection in living cells and aqueous samples

This research paper unveils a fluorescent probe (PTZ-SCN) engineered for the specific detection of Cu2+, featuring a 10-ethyl-10H-phenothiazine-3-carbaldehyde and 2-(thiophen-2-yl) acetonitrile moiety. The fluorescence sensing behavior of PTZ-SCN towards various metal cations was scrutinized in CH3CN : HEPES (9 : 1) buffer aqueous solution. The UV absorbance of PTZ-SCN displayed a distinct red shift in the presence of Cu2+ cations, whereas other metal cations did not cause any interference. Similarly, the fluorescence emission of the probe was also only quenched by Cu2+ cations. The limit of detection (LOD) was calculated as 1.0461 × 10-8 M. PTZ-SCN showed the ability to identify Cu2+ using the colorimetric method, the fluorometric method and even through visual observation in a trilateral detection. We studied the recognition mechanism of PTZ-SCN for Cu2+ using 1H-NMR, HRMS analysis, and time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) calculations. Furthermore, our study encompassed the investigation of PTZ-SCN's practical applicability, bridging the gap from research to real-world implementation. This was achieved by employing test strips and water samples for the detection of Cu2+. Additionally, the PTZ-SCN probe's low cytotoxicity and effective imaging properties for Cu2+ in living cells were confirmed, indicating that PTZ-SCN shows the potential to serve as a promising probe for detecting Cu2+in vivo.