A dual responsive bis-thiophene affixed thiosemicarbazide based chemosensor for colorimetrically Hg2+ and fluorometrically Cu2+ ions and their applications in live cell imaging.

In this work, we developed a fast and straightforward colorimetric and photoluminescent chemosensor probe (P1), featuring bis-thiophene-thiosemicarbazide moieties as its signaling and binding unit. This probe exhibited rapid sensitivity to Hg2+ and Cu2+ ions in a semi-aqueous medium, resulting in distinct colorimetric and photoluminescent changes. In the presence of Cu2+, P1 displayed an impressive 50-fold increase in photoluminescence (PL) at 450 nm (with excitation at 365 nm). The probe P1 formed a 1:1 complex with Hg2+ and Cu2+ ions, featuring association constant values of 4.04 × 104 M-1 and 1.25 × 103 M-1, respectively. P1 has demonstrated its efficacy in the analysis of real samples, yielding promising results. Additionally, the probe successfully visualized copper ions on a mouse fibroblast cell line (NIH3T3), highlighting its potential as an intracellular probe for copper ion detection.

A thiazole-based colorimetric and photoluminescent chemosensors for As3+ ions detection: Density functional theory, test strips, real samples, and bioimaging applications.

A Schiff-base Ethyl (E)-2-(3-((2-carbamothioylhydrazono)methyl)-4-hydroxyphenyl)-4-methylthiazole-5-carboxylate (TZTS) dual functional colorimetric and photoluminescent chemosensor which includes thiazole and thiosemicarbazide has been synthesized to detect arsenic (As3+) ions selectively in DMSO: H2O (7:3, v/v) solvent system. The molecular structure of the probe was characterized via FT-IR, 1H, and 13C NMR & HRMS analysis. Interestingly, the probe exhibits a remarkable and specific colorimetric and photoluminescence response to As3+ ions when exposed to various metal cations. The absorption spectral changes of TZTS were observed upon the addition of As3+ ions, with a naked eye detectable color change from colorless to yellow color. Additionally, the chemosensor (TZTS) exhibited a new absorption band at 412 nm and emission enhancements in photoluminescence at 528 nm after adding As3+ ions. The limit of detection (LOD) for As3+ ions was calculated to be 16.5 and 7.19 × 10-9 M by the UV-visible and photoluminescent titration methods, respectively. The underlying mechanism and experimental observations have been comprehensively elucidated through techniques such as Job's plot, Benesi-Hildebrand studies, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. For practical application, the efficient determination of As3+ ions were accomplished using a spike and recovery approach applied to real water samples. In addition, the developed probe was successfully employed in test strip applications, allowing for the naked-eye detection of arsenic ions. Moreover, fluorescence imaging experiments of As3+ ions in the breast cancer cell line (MCF-7) demonstrated their practical applications in biological systems. Consequently, these findings highlight the significant potential of the TZTS sensor for detecting As3+ ions in environmental analysis systems.

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.

Functionalized 2-Hydrazinobenzothiazole with Bithiophene as a Colorimetric Sensor for Lethal Cyanide Ions and Its Application in Food Samples.

A newly synthesized Schiff's base 2-(2-([2,2'-bithiophen]-5-ylmethylene)hydrazinyl)benzothiazole (BT) was obtained from the condensation reaction between 2-hydrazinobenzothiazole and 2,2-bithiophene-5-carboxaldehyde. The prepared probe BT was subjected to a confirmation of the structural arrangement through NMR, FTIR, ESI-HRMS, and single-crystal XRD spectral analysis. The BT colorimetric sensor showed selectivity and sensitivity toward the cyanide (CN-) ion over other common anions such as ClO4-, Cl-, Br-, F-, I-, NO2-, OH-, HSO4-, and H2PO4- in a partial aqueous system CH3CN/H2O (8:2, v/v). The probe BT detects CN- with the lowest detection range as low as 1.33 × 10-8 M (3.59 ppm); in comparison to that given by WHO guidelines, it is significantly lower. The stoichiometric interaction between the probe BT and analyte CN- was found to be 1:1 (BT/CN-) binding mode using Jobs plot, and further association binding affinity was calculated to be 6.64 × 10-3 M-1. Additionally, these results were further supported by the FTIR and DFT calculations, as well as the 1H NMR titration analysis, which complemented the binding data. The sensor probe BT was successfully employed in a cotton swab test kit approach and also in smartphone-assisted applications for the determination of CN- ions. Finally, the outstanding sensing properties of probe BT aided the quantitative detection of CN- ions, and it could be further applied to a variety of food samples, including apple seeds, sprouting potatoes, and cassava.

Enhanced solubility of guanosine by inclusion complexes with cyclodextrin derivatives: Preparation, characterization, and evaluation.

This study improves the water solubility and cellular uptake of guanosine (GuN) through an inclusion complexation with cyclodextrin derivatives (CDs), namely ß-cyclodextrin (ß-CD), hydroxypropyl-ß-cyclodextrin (HP-ß-CD), and sulfobutyl ether-ß-cyclodextrin (SBE-ß-CD). Inclusion complexes of GuN and CDs are synthesized in a 1:1 stoichiometric ratio with binding constants calculated using the Benesi-Hildebrand method. Characterizations of the prepared solid complexes using FTIR, XRD, TGA-DSC, and SEM indicate that GuN is found inside the cavity of the CDs. Moreover, in silico molecular modeling analysis identifies the most favorable binding interactions of GuN deeply encapsulated in the hydrophobic cavities of the CDs, as validated by PatchDock and FireDock servers. In addition, human breast cancer MCF-7 cell activity indicates that the SBE-ß-CD:GuN complex displays better cell viability and cellular uptake than GuN or other inclusion complexes of ß-CD:GuN and HP-ß-CD:GuN.