A pyrene-linked thiourea as a chemosensor for cations and simple fluorescent sensor for picric acid

Abstract

A simple pyrene-linked thiourea 1 has been synthesized and shown to act as a fluorescent and visual sensor for the detection of Cu²⁺ and Hg²⁺ ions. The sensor showed effective detection of Cu²⁺ and Hg²⁺ at a low detection limit. Receptor 1 has been successfully applied in the fluorescence imaging of Cu²⁺ and Hg²⁺ ions in living cells. Receptor 1 also selectively detects picric acid via both color change and fluorescence change.