A fluorescent probe for detection of Hg²⁺ ions constructed by tetramethyl cucurbit[6]uril and 1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethene

• Xiaoqian Chen,
• Naqin Yang,
• Yue Ma,
• Xinan Yang and
• Peihua Ma

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 864–872, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.63

• ; fluorescent probe; Hg2+ ion recognition; host–guest chemistry; tetramethyl cucurbit[6]uril; Introduction Mercury, as one of the most toxic heavy metal pollutants, not only seriously pollutes the ecological environment but also causes great harm to human health. Mercury and inorganic mercury ions (Hg2+) in

• change in fluorescence intensity can be used for the recognition of Cd2+ and Zn2+ ions [35]. The symmetric tetramethyl cucurbit[6]uril (TMeQ[6]) is one of the earliest characterized modified cucurbit[6]urils [36]. Compared with Q[6], tetramethyl cucurbit[6]uril (TMeQ[6]) has good solubility in water

• cucurbit[6]uril (TMeQ[6]) and 1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethene (G) were used to construct a supramolecular fluorescent probe G@TMeQ[6]. The host–guest interaction between TMeQ[6] and G was investigated using 1H NMR spectroscopy, single-crystal X-ray diffraction and various experimental techniques. The results show