Fluorescein Hydrazide-Appended Metal-Organic Framework as a Chromogenic and Fluorogenic Chemosensor for Mercury Ions

Robust Optical Detection of Ga3+ by a Rhodamine- and Coumarin-Based Proficient Probe: Theoretical Investigations and Biological Applications

The present investigation highlights a rhodamine-B- and coumarin-based efficient probe that selectively detects Ga3+ over other metal ions. The active pocket of the ligand for trapping the metal ions and the binding stoichiometry of its Ga3+ complex were discovered by single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SC-XRD) analysis. This binding stoichiometry was further confirmed in the solution state by mass spectrometry and Job's plot. The detection limit was found to be at the nanomolar level. Pyrophosphate being a well-known quencher could easily quench the fluorescence intensity of the RC in the presence of Ga3+ and reversibly recognize Ga3+ in the solution. The spiro ring opening of the ligand after Ga3+ insertion is proposed to be the principal mechanism for the turn-on fluorescence response. This ring opening was confirmed by SC-XRD data and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) titration experiments. Both ground- and excited-state calculations of the ligand and complex have been carried out to obtain information about their energy levels and to obtain the theoretical electronic spectra. Furthermore, the live-cell imaging of the probe only and the probe after the addition of Ga3+ have been carried out in HaCaT cells and satisfactory responses were observed. Interestingly, with the help of this probe, Ga3+ can be tracked inside the intracellular organelle such as lysosomes along with other regions of the cell. The article highlights a rhodamine-coumarin-based probe for the detection of Ga3+ over other metal ions with a nanomolar level detection limit. Structural characterization of the ligand and its Ga3+ complex was investigated by SC-XRD. Density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT (TD-DFT) studies were carried out to explore the excited-state energies and electronic spectra. The application of the probe for the detection of Ga3+ in live cells has been explored, and positive responses were observed.

Development of low-cost copper nanoclusters for highly selective "turn-on" sensing of Hg2+ ions

The development of low-cost earth abundant metal based fluorescent sensors for a rapid and selective nanomolar level detection of Hg²⁺ is essential due to the increasing world-wide concern of its detrimental effect on humans as well as the environment. Herein, we present a perylene tetracarboxylic acid functionalized copper nanoclusters (CuNCs) based "turn-on" fluorescence probe for highly selective detection of toxic Hg²⁺ ions. The fabricated CuNCs exhibited high photostability with emission maximum centered at 532 nm (λ_ex = 480 nm). The fluorescence intensity of CuNCs was remarkably enhanced upon the addition of Hg²⁺ over other competing ions and neutral analytes. Notably, the 'turn-on' fluorescence response exhibits highly sensitive detection limit as low as 15.9 nM (S/N ∼ 3). The time resolved fluorescence spectroscopy suggested the energy transfer between CuNCs and Hg²⁺ ions following either inhibited fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) or surface modification of CuNCs during Hg²⁺ sensing. This study offers the systematic design and development of new fluorescent 'turn-on' nanoprobes for rapid and selective recognition of heavy metal ions.

Metal organic frameworks as promising sensing tools for electrochemical detection of persistent heavy metal ions from water matrices: A concise review

Water bodies are being polluted rapidly by disposal of toxic chemicals with their huge entrance into drinking water supply chain. Among these pollutants, heavy metal ions (HMIs) are the most challenging one due to their non-biodegradability, toxicity, and ability to biologically hoard in ecological systems, thus posing a foremost danger to human health. This can be addressed by robust, sensitive, selective, and reliable sensing of metal ions which can be achieved by Metal organic frameworks (MOF) based electrochemical sensors. In the present era, MOFs have caught greater interest in a variety of applications including sensing of hazardous pollutants such as heavy metal ions. So, in this review article, types, synthesis and working mechanism of MOF based sensors is explained to give general overview with updated literature. First time, detailed study is done for sensing of metal ions such as chromium, mercury, zinc, copper, manganese, palladium, lead, iron, cadmium and lanthanide by MOFs based electrochemical sensors. The use of MOFs as electrochemical sensors has attractive success story along with some challenges of the area. Considering these challenges, we attempted to highlight the milestone achieved and shortcomings along with future prospective of the MOFs for employing it in electrochemical sensing devices for HMIs. Finally, challenges and future prospects have been discussed to promote the development of MOFs-based sensors in future.

Recent Progress in Metal-Organic Framework Based Fluorescent Sensors for Hazardous Materials Detection

Population growth and industrial development have exacerbated environmental pollution of both land and aquatic environments with toxic and harmful materials. Luminescence-based chemical sensors crafted for specific hazardous substances operate on host-guest interactions, leading to the detection of target molecules down to the nanomolar range. Particularly, the luminescence-based sensors constructed on the basis of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are of increasing interest, as they can not only compensate for the shortcomings of traditional detection techniques, but also can provide more sensitive detection for analytes. Recent years have seen MOFs-based fluorescent sensors show outstanding advantages in the field of hazardous substance identification and detection. Here, we critically discuss the application of MOFs for the detection of a broad scope of hazardous substances, including hazardous gases, heavy metal ions, radioactive ions, antibiotics, pesticides, nitro-explosives, and some harmful solvents as well as luminous and sensing mechanisms of MOF-based fluorescent sensors. The outlook and several crucial issues of this area are also discussed, with the expectation that it may help arouse widespread attention on exploring fluorescent MOFs (LMOFs) in potential sensing applications.