M. Zhao et al. / Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy 116 (2013) 460–465
1200
461
and so on [8,11]. So it is important to develop selective fluores-
3
+
cence sensors for Cr in biological or environmental samples.
Recently, Saluja et al. developed a fluorescence sensor based on
benzimidazole to recognized Cr3 [12]. Another chemosensors,
rhodamine derivatives, were reported by Das et al. in presence of
large excess of other competing ions with associated changes in
their optical and fluorescence spectral behavior [13]. Guha et al.
once reported thiophene-counmarin hybrid molecule that can
1
000
+
8
00
(
b) (a)
600
3+
selectively monitoring Cr in CH
3
CNÀHEPES buffer [14]. However,
3
+
Cr as one of the most efficient fluorescence quenchers among the
transition metal ions and it is paramagnetic, so there is a lack of
selective ligand systems for Cr3+ [15,16]. As a result, only very
few reports were available regarding the fluorescent detection of
4
00
00
0
2
3
+
Cr in environment and biological samples or live-cell imaging.
Herein, we designed and synthesized a hypersensitive water-
soluble fluorescence sensor based on glutamine with dansyl
groups; it shows very good selectivity as well as sensitivity for
400
440
480
520
560
600
Wavelength / nm
3
+
Cr . The method is simple, rapid and effective.
Fig. 2. Fluorescence intensity of 1 (5.0 lM) in NaAc/HAc buffer solution (pH 5.5)
upon addition of various amounts of Cr (0.0, 0.5, 1.0, 2.5, 5.0, 10.0, 15.0, 20.0, 30.0,
5.0, 60.0
illumination with 254 nm light.
3+
4
l
M). Inset: fluorescence photographs of 1 (a) and 1–Cr3+ (b) under
Experimental
Materials and apparatus
and was shook with ethyl acetate. The organic layer was separated
and distilled under reduced pressure to give a crude residue. The
product was further purified by column chromatography; finally
the tawny solid product of 1 was obtained with a 64.8% yield.
All chemicals were obtained from commercial suppliers and
were used without further purification. Stock solutions of 1
(
(
5.0
lM) were prepared in distilled water. Stock solutions
5.0 mM) of the chlorate salts of Na , K , Mg ,Ca , Cu2+, Co
+
+
2+
2+
2+
,
2
+
2+
2+
3+
2+
2+
3+
3+
3 5
ESI-MS (m/z): 378.73; calcd for C17H21N O S, 379.43.
Ni , Cd , Fe , Cr , Hg , Pb , Fe , Al in distilled water were
prepared. For all measurements, excitation was at 320 nm.
NMR measurements were performed on a Varian NMR Systems
Results and discussion
4
00 MHz spectrometer. Mass spectra were measured on a
3
+
LCQDACAXPMAX mass spectrometer (Finnigan). Fluorescence
spectra were measured on a Hitachi F-2500 fluorescence spectro-
photometer. UV–vis absorption spectra were obtained on a Shima-
dzu UV-1700 spectrophotometer at room temperature.
Fluorescence response of 1 to Cr
The fluorescence sensor 1 itself has a strong emission band at
543 nm in 5.0 M buffer aqueous solutions. Upon the addition of
l
3
+
increasing concentration of Cr , as shown in Fig. 2, a significant
enhancement of the emission band at 500 nm occurred, resulting
in a 43 nm blue-shift and a significant increase in the intensity of
the emission was observed. Meanwhile, the fluorescence color
apparently changes from yellow to green under a UV lamp excited
at 254 nm (inset in Fig. 2). The blue-shift and the enhancement of
the maximum emission can be tentatively explained in terms of
the internal charge transfer (ICT) between imino group and dansyl
moiety was inhibited [17–21].
Synthesis and characterization of 1
The fluorescence sensor 1 was easily synthesized by two steps
in the reaction of dansyl chloride and glutamine (see Fig. 1).
0
.12 g Glutamine (0.821 mmol) in flasks was dissolved in
sodium bicarbonate solution (15.0 ml, 0.10 M). The mixed solution
was cooled at 0 °C ice-water bath for 10 min. Then the solution of
dansyl chloride (0.225 g, 0.835 mmol) in 15.0 mL acetone was
added dropwise to the above stirred glutamine solution. The
reaction was stirred at 0 °C ice-water bath for 30 min, and then
under room temperature for 3 h [17,18]. After the completion of
reaction, the acetone in the mixture was evaporated under reduced
Fluorescence response of 1 to metal ions and pH
2
+
The additions of other 13 common metal ions including Ca
,
2+
+
+
2+
3+
2+
2+
2+
3+
2+
2+
pressure. Then, the residue liquid was washed with Et
2
O for three
Cu2+, Hg , K , Na , Pb , Al , Cd , Co , Fe , Fe , Mg or Ni
times (3 Â 20.0 mL). The aqueous layer was added HCl to pH 4.5,
was examined in the identical conditions did not have similar
Fig. 1. The synthetic route and atomic number sequences of 1.