An Anthracene-Based Tripodal Chemosensor for Anion Sensing

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Whitney A. Quinn²  Musabbir A. Saeed²  Douglas R. Powell¹ 

[1] Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA; E-Mail:;Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Jackson State University, Jackson, MS 39217, USA; E-Mails:

关键词: Tren;    chemosensor;    anion complex;    fluorescence titrations;    anion receptor;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijerph7052057

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

An anthracene-based tripodal ligand was synthesized from the condensation of tren with 9-anthraldehyde, and the subsequent reduction with sodium borohydride. The neutral ligand was protonated from the reaction with p-toluenesulfonic acid to give a triply charged chemosensor that was examined for its anion binding ability toward fluoride, chloride, bromide, sulfate and nitrate by the fluorescence spectroscopy in DMSO. The addition of an anion to the ligand resulted in an enhancement in fluorescence intensity at the excitation of 310 nm. Analysis of the spectral changes suggested that the ligand formed a 1:1 complex with each of the anions, showing strong affinity for fluoride and sulfate in DMSO. The unsubstituted tren was reacted with sulfuric acid to form a sulfate complex and the structure was determined by the X-ray crystallography. Analysis of the complex revealed that three sulfates are held between two ligands by multiple hydrogen bonding interactions with protonated amines.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2010 by the authors; licensee Molecular Diversity Preservation International, Basel, Switzerland.