The metal sensing applications of chalcones: The synthesis, characterization and theoretical calculations

In this study, three different chalcone compounds were synthesized by Aldol condensation reaction. 4hydroxybenzaldehyde and ketone compounds (acetophenone, acetofuran and thio acetofuran) were reacted in ethanol in harsh alkaline media provided by potassium hydroxide and after the work up the chemical yields of the reaction were calculated as 33.6%, 28.2% and 31.1% respectively. The synthesized compounds were characterized by H-1 NMR, C-13 NMR, FTIR and UVvisible spectroscopy. In addition, H-1 and C-13 NMR chemical shifts, IR and UV-vis spectrums were calculated theoretically in gas phase,by using B3LYP method and 6-311 + g(d) basis set, for the optimized structures of synthesized chalcones. The experimentally obtained FTIR and NMR spectra shows that the targeted molecules were synthesized as requested. All the data obtained as experimentally and theoretically are compatible with each other. The UV-visible spectra of Fe+3, Cd+2, Hg+2, Cu+2, Ni+2 and Co+2 metal ions were examined and it was investigated whether metals could be detected using the synthesized theese chalcone compounds. It was found that chalcone 3 is giving interaction with five metal ions (Cd+2, Hg+2, Cu+2, Ni+2 and Co+2 ) other than Fe+3 and is showing new absorption bands in the UV-visible region whereas chalcone 1 and 2 did not appear to interact with any of these metals. In the light of the findings, it was concluded that it is possible to selectively detect the metal ions in the solution with molecularly modified chalcones in this study. (C) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

In this study, three different chalcone compounds were successfully synthesized and characterized using various analytical techniques. The interaction between these synthesized chalcones and metal ions was investigated, showing that selective detection of metal ions is possible using molecularly modified chalcones in the solution. These findings provide valuable insights for future development of metal ion detection methods.