A high selective chemosensor for detection of Al3+ based on diarylethene with a hydrazide unit

A novel photochromic diarylethene derivative bearing a hydrazide was synthesized, and its characteristics with light and chemical regulation were studied systematically. • A new Schiff-based diarylethene derivative ( 1O ) bearing benzohydrazide unit was designed and synthesized. • 1O showed good selectivity and sensitivity to detect Al 3+ in acetonitrile solution. • 1O could be applied as test paper to achieve rapid detection. Al 3+ plays an indispensable role in different physiological processes. However, excess Al 3+ is destructive to health. Here, a diarylethene-based fluorescent sensor ( 1O ) was synthesized by attaching a hydrazide group to diarylethene moiety through Schiff base structure. In acetonitrile, 1O displayed excellent selectivity and sensitivity to Al 3+ . The fluorescence intensity increased by 70-fold and accompanied by the color of the solution changed from dark to blue with the addition of Al 3+ . Further, the potential response mechanism of 1O toward Al 3+ was proposed and verified by 1 H NMR titrations and mass spectrometry analysis, the stoichiometric ratios of the sensor with Al 3+ appeared to be 1:1 with the detection limit of 0.073 μM. In addition, 1O has been successfully applied to the detection of Al 3+ in real water samples, and it also has successfully designed as molecular logic circuit and test strips.