A Novel (2,6-Difluorobenzoyl)Urea-Activated Fluorescent Probe for Fluorine-Containing Pesticides Detection

Abstract

Fluorine-containing pesticides (FCPs) are widely used in modern agriculture for their good bioactivity. However, their impact on human and ecosystem become more and more harmful due to their overcommitting and the bio-concentration in water and soil. Meanwhile, molecular probes for the detection of these pesticides are extremely rare. Herein, a multi-functional probe N-(purinyl)-2-chromene-3-carbohydrazide (PCC) was design and synthesized for the simultaneous detection of teflubenzuron and fluazuron. PCC exhibited good sensitivity and selectivity towards teflubenzuron and fluazuron based on the supramolecular interaction of intermolecular hydrogen bonding. The limit of detection for teflubenzuron and fluazuron was calculated to be as low as 91.6 nM and 43.2 nM, respectively. The fluorescent response could be visually observed through naked eyes. In addition, teflubenzuron was successfully detected through PCC in real water samples as well as in some other practical samples such as soil, grape and peach. This method towards FCPs detection showed great potential with mild conditions, simple operation and needlessness of pretreatment and large instruments. The present work provides a novel probe and a convenient method for the detection of teflubenzuron and fluazuron with good sensitivity and easy operation, which is conducive to FCPs detection and may find application in environmental analysis.

Keywords: Fluorescent probe, (2, 6-difluorobenzoyl)urea, fluazuron, teflubenzuron, hydrogen bonding interaction