Interaction of a naphthalene based fluorescent probe with Al3+: experimental and computational studies

Abstract

The synthesis, characterization and selective interaction of a naphthalene based fluorescent probe (L) with Al³⁺ is described. The detection limit of L for Al³⁺ is 4.8 × 10⁻⁷ M. L can efficiently detect Al³⁺ in living cells under a fluorescence microscope. Experimentally observed structural and spectroscopic features of L and its Al³⁺complex have been substantiated by computational calculations using density functional theory.