Term of Award

Spring 2017

Degree Name

Master of Science in Applied Physical Science (M.S.)

Document Type and Release Option

Thesis (open access)

Copyright Statement / License for Reuse

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Department

Department of Chemistry

Committee Chair

Karelle Aiken

Committee Member 1

Shainaz Landge

Committee Member 2

Weihua Ming

Abstract

Cations and anions play pivotal roles in biological and physiological processes, however an imbalance in concentration of any ion can be detrimental. Therefore, research into the selective recognition of anions and heavy metal cations has acquired much attention. One approach involves the use of chemosensors. Upon interaction with targeted analytes, chemosensors produce a distinct response, in some cases a fluorescent or colorimetric signal. The 1,2,3-triazole unit has much potential as a chemical sensor due to its unique photophysical properties. The specificity, selectivity, and signaling mechanism of triazole sensors can be tuned with conjugation in the motif and choice and placement of substituents in the structure. The utility of the motif is extensive with significant applications in toxicological assessments, therapeutics, and materials science. Herein we report the syntheses and analytical investigations of novel 1,2,3-triazole sensors tuned for intense color and fluorescent changes with specific analytes. Our current studies include a 1,2,3-triazole based copper (II) sensor and a dual sensor, able to detect both cations and anions. The sensors are made by copper-mediated approaches with 1) azides and alkynes in the copper (I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC), a “click” reaction, or 2) N-tosylhydrazone and aniline substrates. Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-Vis), Fluorescence, and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Spectroscopy are used to investigate the selectivity and specificity of the sensors with their respective analytes.

INDEX WORDS: 1,2,3-Triazole, Chemosensor, Copper (II), Fluoride

Research Data and Supplementary Material

Yes

Share

COinS