Work

A benzylidene-amine scaffold as a colourimetric sensor for picric acid: computational studies and real-time applications using matchstick head powder

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: A series of simple and cost-effective benzylidene-amine appended probes (E)-4-((4-(allyloxy) benzylidene)amino)-N-phenyl aniline ( L-1 ), (E)-N-phenyl-4-((2,3,4-trimethoxybenzylidene) amino)aniline ( L-2 ), and (E)-4-((2-nitrobenzylidene)amino)-N-phenyl aniline ( L-3 ) have been developed for the rapid detection of picric acid (PA) and explored for the same. Notably, L-3 showed no changes in its UV spectrum or colour upon interaction with PA. In contrast, when PA was added to L-1 and L-2 , there were significant changes in absorption, resulting in distinct colour changes. Mole fraction analysis indicated a 1:1 ratio between the probes and PA. The detection limits for PA were impressively low, measuring 4.37 × 10 − 7 M for L-1 and 4.56 × 10 − 6 M for L-2 . This demonstrates the effectiveness of these probes in detecting PA, even at very low concentrations. Importantly, this work marks the first application of benzylidene-amine probes for the detection of PA. The sensing studies were supported by theoretical analyses and calculations, which confirmed the selective detection of PA using matchstick head powder (MSPS) and a test kit based on paper strips. Additionally, smartphone-assisted detection using an RGB tool was successfully demonstrated. Graphical abstract

Source: BMC Chemistry

DOI: 10.1186/s13065-025-01670-4

Authors: Viswanathan Hemalatha, Sundaramoorthy Sarveswari, Vijayaparthasarathi Vijayakumar

Institution: Vellore Institute of Technology University

Language: English

Topic: Molecular Sensors and Ion Detection

Subfield: Spectroscopy

Field: Chemistry

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,990

Funder: VIT University