A highly selective off–on fluorescent chemodosimeter for Hg2+ based on a anthracene–bis(phosphinesulfide) conjugate

Abstract

A chemodosimeter Ph₂P(S)NP(–S–CH₂–anthracene)Ph₂ (L¹), featuring the methylanthracenyl moiety covalently linked to one of the two S atoms of an S,S′-tetraphenyldithioimidodiphosphinate (L) unit exhibited good selectivity and sensitivity for Hg²⁺ in an aqueous environment. The chemical reaction involved differs from those reported in the literature for other Hg²⁺ chemodosimeters: the binding of Hg²⁺ induces the cleavage of the PS–CH₂ bond to form the stable neutral complex [HgL₂] and an emissive anthracenyl derivative. The X-ray crystal structure of L¹ is reported (CCDC number 919620).