Novel & Smart Sensing of Acetate and Hypochlorite Ions With Relay Recognition of Cr3+ Ion With Fluorescence Turn-on: Application in Bio-imaging & Real Sample Analysis

The receptor-bearing anthraquinone chromophore was synthesized by a simple aldamine condensation reaction, and its anion sensing properties were investigated via colorimetric, UV-vis, photoluminescence, and DFT calculations. The synthesized receptor detects both acetate and hypochlorite ions, where remarkable colorimetric transitions were observed from pink to purple for the acetate ion and pink to blue for the hypochlorite ion. Moreover, in the occurrence of the acetate ion, it shows an admirable answer for the Cr3+ ion, which changes its purple color to pink, while no notable change was observed for other ions. The detection limits of receptors with acetate and hypochlorite are 7.1x10(-7) M and 9.4x10-7 M, respectively. The DFT calculation was performed to better understand the sensing mechanisms of both AcO- and ClO- ions. Furthermore, receptors were effectively utilized in the preparation of optical sensors supported by silica gel for the detection of AcO- and ClO- ions. The receptor proved itself to be potentially useful for real-life application by sensing AcO-in vinegar and ClO-ions in ala. Furthermore, its preeminent detection properties enabled the successful labeling of the AcO- ion in living biological cells.