A highly selective chemosensor for Al3+ based on 2-oxo-quinoline-3-carbaldehyde Schiff-base

• The new Schiff-base ligand (1) was easily synthesized and widely available.
• The compound 1 exhibited a high selectivity and sensitivity toward Al3+ in ethanol.
• The detection limit of 1 to Al3+ was up to 0.67 ppb.
• Potential utilization of 1 as intracellular sensors of Al3+ ions was also examined.

A new Schiff-base ligand (1) with good fluorescence response to Al3+, derived from 2-oxo-quinoline-3-carbaldehyde and nicotinic hydrazide, had been synthesized and investigated in this paper. Spectroscopic investigation revealed that the compound 1 exhibited a high selectivity and sensitivity toward Al(III) ions over other commonly coexisting metal ions in ethanol, and the detection limit of Al3+ ions is at the parts per billion level. The mass spectra and Job’s plot confirmed the 1:1 stoichiometry between 1 and Al3+. Potential utilization of 1 as intracellular sensors of Al3+ ions in human cancer (HeLa) cells was also examined by confocal fluorescence microscopy.

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