Fluorescent Carbon Dots Appended with Barbituric Acid for the Recognition of ATP in Living Plants in Aqueous Media: The Organic Precursor Sensing the Bisulfate Anion in Real Samples

Abstract Fabrication of fluorescent water‐soluble citric acid‐urea based carbon dots have been done using an organic pioneer possessing barbituric acid for the recognition of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). The carbon dots has been characterized through various techniques, such as, powder X‐ray diffraction (PXRD), Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), high‐resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), UV‐visible (UV‐vis), and Fluorescence (FL) spectroscopy. The emissive nature of carbon dots made them worthwhile for the detection of ATP in different plant samples, for instance, curry leaves, coriander, tulsi and jasmine flower leaves. Also, the barbituric acid precursor ( 1 ) has been successfully applied for the detection of bisulfate anion in real samples with good recovery. The absorption responses for bisulfate ion permitted it to be used as effective colorimetric sensor in water and the color changes have been scrutinized using smartphone application.