A coumarin based ICT probe for fluoride in aqueous medium with its real application

A new coumarin based hydrazone (receptor 1) synthesized by modifying one of our earlier reported receptor detected fluoride ion selectively through naked eye in aq. DMSO (5:95, v/v). It was also able to detect fluoride through naked eye in a toothpaste sample. The addition of 1 equiv. of fluoride as its tetrabutylammonium salt to the 5 x 10(-5) M aq. DMSO solution of the receptor 1 produced red color while the similar addition of acetate produced faint pink color. The dihydrogenphosphate and a variety of other anions were not able to produce any significant color change with receptor 1 under similar experimental conditions. The corresponding UV-vis measurements showed a bathochromic shifting of 455 nm band of receptor 1 to 514 and 484 nm for fluoride and acetate, respectively. The non-linear fittings of corresponding UV-vis titration data in 1:1 binding equation yielded association constants in 105:1 ratio for fluoride and acetate, respectively. The H-1 NMR titrations studies shade further light on their mode of binding with receptor 1. The quantum mechanical calculations through time dependant density functional theory (TD-DFT) using basis set b3lyp/6-311g** supported our experimental findings nicely. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.