An anthracene-based symmetrical azine linkage turn-on fluorogenic probe for selective and specific detection of sarin simulant, diethylchlorophosphate.

Abstract

Notably, the G-series nerve agents possess extreme toxicity and can be synthesized through a facile protocol; their abuse becomes a significant threat to the environment and human life. Hence, it is emerging to develop an efficient chemosensor for the selective identification of these nerve agents. In this report, we have presented an azine-based symmetrical fluorogenic probe, BAH, for the selective detection of sarin gas, one of the fatal G-series nerve agent surrogates, diethylchlorophosphate (DCP). BAH is non-fluorescent, but the progressive accumulation of DCP displays a naked-eye bright greenish cyan fluorometric change under a 365 UV lamp. Recognizable greenish cyan color fluorescence diminished completely for the accumulation of triethylamine (TEA), confirming its reusability multiple times. A paper strips-based test kit experiment has also been demonstrated for the onsite detection of these nerve agents, especially in remote areas in solution and vapor phases, respectively. A superior application combining the attractiveness and efficiency of BAH in the gaseous phase was also demonstrated. The BAH-based fluorogenic sensor shows excellent selectivity towards DCP with a detection and quantification limit in the μM range. The simple, rapid detection makes our probe unique and has significant utility for the recognition of DCP in real threat scenarios.