Synthesis and evaluation of an imidazo-benzocrown ether functionalised amino acid as a new fluorimetric chemosensor for metal ion detection

A new unnatural phenylalanine derivative bearing benzimidazole and crown ether as coordinating/reporting units was synthesized, and its evaluation as colorimetric/fluorimetric chemosensor was carried out in acetonitrile solution. Compound 3 was tested for metal ion detection (such as Ca2+, Cd2+, Co2+, Cr3+, Cu2+, Fe2+, Fe3+, Hg2+, Na+, Ni2+, Pd2+ and Zn2+). The sensory properties and signaling mode, as seen by spectrofluorimetric titrations, showed that amino acid derivative 3 is a fluorimetric chemosensor, being highly sensitive for Cu2+, Hg2+ and Pd2+. The metal cation sensing properties displayed by compound 3 showed that it is a promising candidate for sensory applications.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT