Introduction of a luminescent sensor for tracking trace levels of hydrazine in insect pollinated cropland flowers

Abstract

In recent years the excessive use of hydazine containing chemical pesticides and insecticides in farming practices is well pronounced, which directly or indirectly impart a great threat towards the total environment. Considering the above fact we are motivated to introduce a new, efficient and simple chemodosimeter (NCD) based on a carbazole-naphthalimide framework to recognize and estimate the mutagenic hydrazine within several affected cropland flowers. Probe NCD can detect hydrazine in a nanomolar range (65 nM or 2 ppb) in the presence of other metal ions, anions and amines, which gives it not only great potential but also makes it selective and sensitive. The sensing mechanism is confirmed by UV-vis, emission, and mass spectroscopy, and computational studies. We have successfully characterized probe NCD by ¹H and ¹³C NMR and mass spectrometry as well as by single crystal analysis.