A new and highly selective turn-on fluorescent sensor with fast response time for the monitoring of cadmium ions in cosmetic, and health product samples

•A new T(4-NO2P)P has been synthesized and used as a turn-on fluorescence sensor.•Turn-on fluorescence sensor showed very high selectivity to Cd(II) ions.•The proposed sensor was applied for the detection of Cd(II) in cosmetic samples.•Fluorescent probe optimization was conducted by multivariate chemometrics method.

Cadmium (Cd) which is an extremely toxic could be found in many products like plastics, fossil fuel combustion, cosmetics, water resources, and wastewaters. It is capable of causing serious environmental and health problems such as lung, prostate, renal cancers and the other disorders. So, the development of a sensor to continually monitor cadmium is considerably demanding. Tetrakis(4-nitrophenyl)porphyrin, T(4-NO2-P)P, was synthesized and used as a new and highly selective fluorescent probe for monitoring cadmium ions in the “turn-on” mode. There was a linear relationship between fluorescence intensity and the concentration of Cd(II) in the range of 1.0 × 10− 6 to 1.0 × 10− 5 mol L− 1 with a detection limit of 0.276 μM. To examine the most important parameters involved and their interactions in the sensor optimization procedure, a four-factor central composite design (CCD) combined with response surface modeling (RSM) was implemented. The practical applicability of the developed sensor was investigated using real cosmetic, and personal care samples.

Graphical abstractIn this study for the first time, a porphyrin ring which bounded to four deactivating NO2 groups was used as a “turn-on” fluorescence sensor. The developed sensor showed high selectivity, giving sensitive response toward cadmium metal ion and detecting micro-molar concentrations. This fluorescent probe could be used to measure the amount of cadmium ions in cosmetic and health product samples.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide