A Chromo-Fluorogenic Naphthoquinolinedione-Based Probe for Dual Detection of Cu2+ and Its Use for Various Water Samples

Abstract

The presence of an abnormal amount of Cu2+ in the human body causes various health issues. In the current study, we synthesized a new naphthoquinolinedione-based probe (probe 1) to monitor Cu2+ in different water systems, such as tap water, lakes, and drain water. Two triazole units were introduced into the probe via a click reaction to increase the binding affinity to a metal ion. In day-light, probe 1 dissolved in a mixed solvent system (HEPES: EtOH = 1:4) showed a vivid color change from light greenish-yellow to pink in the presence of only Cu2+ among various metal ions. In addition, the green luminescence and fluorescence emission of the probe were effectively bleached out immediately after Cu2+ addition. The limit of detection (LOD) of the probe was 0.5 mu M when a ratio-metric method was used for metal ion detection. The fluorescence titration data of the probe with Cu2+ showed a calculated LOD of 41.5 pM. Hence, probe 1 possesses the following dual response toward Cu2+ detection: color change and fluorescence quenching. Probe 1 was also useful for detecting Cu2+ spiked in tap/lake water as well as the cytoplasm of live HeLa cells. The current system was investigated using ultraviolet-visible and fluorescence spectroscopy as well as density functional theory calculations (DFT).