A phenanthridine-based fluorescent sensor for selective ratiometric detection of BF3 with AIE properties and applications in environmental monitoring

In this work, we report the synthesis of 5-(4-(pyridine-4-yl)phenyl)-7,8,13,14-tetrahydrodibenzo[a, i]phenanthridine (SP23), SP23 ), a phenanthridine-based chemosensor, by applying the Mannich reaction process. The starting components for this reaction were 2-tetralone, aromatic aldehyde, and ammonium acetate. Several spectroscopic investigations including 1 H NMR, and HRMS were used to confirm the synthesized chemosensor SP23. . In the ACN:H2O 2 O (9:1) solvent mixture, SP23 is more sensitive and selective to BF3 3 than the other competing ions. It is interesting to note that a ratiometric emission shift changes from blue to yellow fluorescence was observed with the BF3 3 ion. The detection limit of 7.58 nM was discovered using this chemosensor, which was less than the previous findings. After administering triethylamine as a regenerating material to the BF3 3 complex, the SP23 could be made reversible. Furthermore, the aggregation investigations indicate that the Aggregation Induced Emission (AIE) phenomenon was followed by the Aggregation Caused Quenching (ACQ) phenomenon. Ultimately, a paper-based test kit was constructed, using the established chemosensor, for practical usage.