Porphyrin-based Schiff base fluorescent probe: mercuric ion recognition by naked eye colorimetric analysis and application of test strip detection

(E)-4,4′,4′'-(20-(4-(2-(2-hydroxybenzylidene)hydrazine-1-carbonyl)phenyl)porphyrin-5,10,15-triyl)tris(1-methylpyridin-1-ium) (named as Por-SA) was synthesized and developed as a fluorescent chemosensor for recognition towards Hg2+ ions in organic-semi aqueous DMSO(Dimethyl sulfoxide)/H2O (8:2, v/v) solution with high selectivity. The sensing ability of water-soluble Por-SA ligands to detect various cations was investigated in aqueous solutions via colorimetric and spectrophotometric methods. Hg2+ can be identified by naked eye colorimetric analysis, and the color of the solution changes from pink to green under daylight, the fluorescence of solution is significantly quenched under 365 nm UV lamp. The probe coordination mode to Hg2+ by probe was further evaluated by the means of density functional theory calculation (DFT), 1H-NMR spectroscopy and Job's plot. Furthermore, the probe Por-SA can recognize Hg2+ with a low limit of detection of 17.3 μM. Probe Por-SA is successfully utilised for detecting the changes of Hg2+ ions in test paper strips. Therefore, Por-SA has the potential to become a universal tool for detecting target metal ions in the environmental and biological fields.