New naphtho[1,8-ef]perimidines: synthesis, fluorescence studies and application for detection of nitroanalytes

A rational approach to the synthesis of substituted naphtho[1,8-ef]perimidines based on SNH methodology and cyclization  reaction in the series of condensed azines with naphthalene substituents was presented. Photophysical properties of the obtained fluorophores were studied, in particular, green fluorescence in the 485–536 nm range with quantum yield up to 32.4% was detected. HOMO-LUMO energy values and distributions for the new compounds were calculated by the DFT method in comparison with nitroanalytes and perylene. Based on the data obtained, as well as on the results of fluorescence titration, the possibility of using the new diazaperylenes as potential chemosensors for the visual detection of nitro-containing explosives was shown

Computer vision vs. spectrofluorometer-assisted detection of common nitro-explosive components with bola-type PAH-based chemosensors

Computer vision (CV) algorithms are widely utilized in imaging processing for medical and personal electronics applications. In sensorics CV can provide a great potential to quantitate chemosensors' signals. Here we wish to describe a method for the CV-assisted spectrofluorometer-free detection of common nitro-explosive components, e.g. 2,4-dinitrotoluene (DNT) and 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), by using polyaromatic hydrocarbon (PAH, PAH = 1-pyrenyl or 9-anthracenyl) – based bola-type chemosensors. The PAH components of these chemical bolas are able to form stable, bright emissive in a visual wavelength region excimers, which allows their use as extended matrices of the RGB colors after imaging and digital processing. In non-polar solvents, the excimers have poor chemosensing properties, while in aqueous solutions, due to the possible micellar formation, these excimers provide “turn-off” fluorescence detection of DNT and TNT in the sub-nanomolar concentrations. A combination of these PAH-based fluorescent chemosensors with the proposed CV-assisted algorithm offers a fast and convenient approach for on-site, real-time, multi-thread analyte detection without the use of fluorometers. Although we focus on the analysis of nitro-explosives, the presented method is a conceptual work describing a general use of CV for quantitative fluorescence detection of various analytes as a simpler alternative to spectrofluorometer-assisted methods

Polyaromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH)-Based <i>Aza</i>-POPOPs: Synthesis, Photophysical Studies, and Nitroanalyte Sensing Abilities

1,4-Bis(5-phenyl-2-oxazolyl)benzene (POPOP) is a common scintillation fluorescent laser dye. In this manuscript, the synthesis of 2-Ar-5-(4-(4-Ar’-1H-1,2,3-triazol-1-yl)phenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazoles (Ar, Ar’ = Ph, naphtalenyl-2, pyrenyl-1, triphenilenyl-2), as PAH-based aza-analogues of POPOP, by means of Cu-catalyzed click reaction between 2-(4-azidophenyl)-5-Ar-1,3,4-oxadiazole and terminal ethynyl-substituted PAHs is reported. An investigation of the photophysical properties of the obtained products was carried out, and their sensory response to nitroanalytes was evaluated. In the case of pyrenyl-1-substituted aza-POPOP, dramatic fluorescence quenching by nitroanalytes was observed