A fluorescence turn-on sensor for aluminum ion by a naphthaldehyde derivative

• A new compound, 1-((2-hydroxynaphthalen-1-yl)methylene) thio-urea was designed, synthesized and characterized.
• It exhibited a high selectivity and sensitivity toward Al3+ in C2H5OH/H2O (v:v = 1:1).
• The detection limit of NT to Al3+ was up to 1.1 × 10−7 M.

A new sensor, 1-((2-hydroxynaphthalen-1-yl)methylene)thiourea (NT) was synthesized and characterized by infrared spectra (FI-IR), elemental analysis (EAs), Electrospray ionization mass spectra (ESI-MS). The fluorescent sensing behaviors of the NT toward different metal ions, anions and amino acids were determined by fluorescence spectroscopy. The receptor NT exhibited 73-fold increase in fluorescence intensity in the presence of Al3+ over most other competitive metal ions, anions and amino acids. Moreover, the probe is very sensitive to detect Al3+ with a detection limit 0.11 μM.

A novel colorimetric sensor, 1-((2-hydroxynaphthalen-1-yl)methylene)thiourea (NT), showed effective colorimetric single selectivity and high sensitivity for aluminum cation in C2H5OH/H2O (v:v = 1:1) over most other competitive metal ions, anions and amino acids. The detection limit is 1.1 × 10−7 M based on fluorescent spectra.Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide