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A flexible Schiff base probe for spectrophotometric detection of chromium (III)

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Abstract

A new Schiff base chemosensor (2,2′-(1E,1′E)-(hexane-1,6-diylbis(azan-1-yl-1-ylidene))bis(methan-1-yl-1-ylidene)diphenol) was synthesized (denoted as C6) and characterized by NMR, ESI–MS and FTIR analysis. C6 was screened against several toxic and hazardous materials including heavy metals via spectrophotometry, and Cr+3 was found to produce a distinctive hyperchromic shift in the absorbance of C6. Further analytical evaluation to decipher the supramolecular interaction between C6 and Cr+3 showed that C6 acted as selective chemosensor and exhibited high sensitivity toward Cr+3 in the presence of a wide range of other metal ions. The limit of detection for Cr+3 by using C6 via spectrophotometric detection was found to be around 10 µM. Furthermore, a chemosensing protocol was successfully utilized to recognize Cr+3 in real samples of tap water. Hence, C6 provides a rapid, sensitive and robust method for the detection and possible removal of Cr+3 from aqueous solution and holds potential for its monitoring in the environment.

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Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support from Higher Education Commission, Pakistan (Case No. 106-2077-PS6-065) and H.E.J. Research Institute of Chemistry, International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, Pakistan.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women University, Peshawar, Khyberpakhtoonkhwa, 25120, Pakistan

    A. Minhaz & R. Khattak

  2. Department of Biological Sciences, School of Science and Technology, Sunway University, 47500, Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia

    A. Anwar & N. A. Khan

  3. Institute of Chemical Sciences, University of Peshawar, Peshawar, Khyberpakhtoonkhwa, 25120, Pakistan

    I. Ahmad, M. Yaseen & M. Ishaq

  4. International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, H.E.J. Research Institute of Chemistry, University of Karachi, Karachi, 75270, Pakistan

    F. Ahmed & M. R. Shah

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  1. A. Minhaz
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  2. A. Anwar
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  3. I. Ahmad
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  4. R. Khattak
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  5. M. Yaseen
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  6. F. Ahmed
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  7. M. R. Shah
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  8. N. A. Khan
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  9. M. Ishaq
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Correspondence to A. Anwar.

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Editorial responsibility: M. Abbaspour.

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Minhaz, A., Anwar, A., Ahmad, I. et al. A flexible Schiff base probe for spectrophotometric detection of chromium (III). Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. 16, 5577–5584 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-018-2103-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-018-2103-2

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