Research Information System
Microchemical Journal, vol.219, 2025 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
Hypochlorite (ClO−), a commonly utilized disinfectant and antibacterial agent, is essential in food preservation, water treatment, and biological systems. Excessive ClO− poses significant environmental and health risks; therefore, effective detection methods should be established. This study introduces a novel fluorescent probe, CBZ–Ind for the selective and sensitive detection of ClO− in aqueous environments and living cells. The probe exhibits significant fluorescence properties, rapid response time, exceptional selectivity against competing analytes, and high sensitivity, achieving a low detection limit (LOD) of 190 nM. The structural and electronic effects of ClO−-induced oxidation were investigated using DFT/TD-DFT. The observed changes in the HOMO–LUMO gap and orbital distributions agree excellently with fluorescence observations and show quantitative agreement with UV–Vis λ_max in THF. The efficient determination of ClO− in authentic water samples and living cells confirms its practical significance. Finally, as the system utilizes a smartphone to interpret signals without requiring specialized equipment with a LOD of 15.2 μM, it significantly reduces detection costs and demonstrates the potential for rapid on-site ClO− detection.