A naphthyl thiourea-based effective chemosensor for fluorescence detection of Ag+ and Zn2.

A naphthyl thiourea-based effective chemosensor HNC, (E)-2-(2-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzylidene)-N-(naphthalen-1-yl)hydrazine-1-carbothioamide, was synthesized. HNC showed quick responses toward Ag+ and Zn2+ through marked fluorescence turn-on in different solvent conditions, respectively. Binding proportions of HNC to Ag+ and Zn2+ were found to be 2:1 and 1:1, respectively. Detection limits of HNC for Ag+ and Zn2+ were calculated as 3.82 and 0.21 μM. Binding processes of HNC for Ag+ and Zn2+ were represented using Job's plot, DFT, 1 H NMR titration, and ESI-MS.