Selective and discriminative detection of -NO2 containing high energy organic compounds such as picric acid (PA), 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) and dinitrotoluene (DNT) has become a challenging task due to concerns over national security, criminal investigations and environment protections. Among various known detection methods, fluorescence techniques have gained special attention in recent time. A wide variety of fluorescent chemosensors have been developed for nitroaromatic explosive detection. In this review article, we provide an overview of the recent developments made in small molecule-based turn-off fluorescent sensors for nitroaromatic explosives with special focus on organic and H-bonded supramolecular sensors. The fluorescent sensors discussed in this review are classified and organized according to their functionality and their recognition of nitroaromatics by fluorescence quenching.

Highly luminescent micrometre-sized fine particles of a Zn(II) metal-organic framework (MOF) of a new π-electron rich tricarboxylate dispersed in ethanol is demonstrated as a selective sensory material for the detection of nitroaromatic explosives via a fluorescence quenching mechanism.

A discrete nanoscopic organic cage (OC1) has been synthesized from a phenothiazine based trialdehyde treating with chiral 1,2-cyclohexanediamine building block via dynamic imine bond formation followed by reductive amination. The cage compound has been characterized by several spectroscopic methods, which advocate that OC1 has trigonal prismatic shape formed via [2 + 3] self-assembled imine condensation followed by imine reduction. This newly designed cage has aromatic walls and porous interior decorated with two cyclic thioether and three vicinal diamine moieties suitable for binding gold ions to engineer the controlled nucleation and stabilization of ultrafine gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). The functionalized confined pocket of the cage has been used for the controlled synthesis of AuNPs with narrow size distribution via encapsulation of Au(III) ions. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometric (ICP-MS) analysis revealed that the composite Au@OC1 has very high (∼68 wt %) gold loading. In distinction, reduction of gold salts in absence of the cage yielded structureless agglomerates. The fine-dispersed cage anchored AuNPs (Au@OC1) have been finally used as potential heterogeneous photocatalyst for very facile and selective conversion of nitroarenes to respective azo compounds at ambient temperature in just 2 h reaction time. Exceptional chemical stability and reusability without any agglomeration of AuNPs even after several cycles of use are the potential features of this material. The composite Au@OC1 represents the first example of organic cage supported gold nanoparticles as photocatalyst.

Three new electron-rich metal-organic frameworks (MOF-1-MOF-3) have been synthesized by employing ligands bearing aromatic tags. The key role of the chosen aromatic tags is to enhance the p-electron density of the luminescent MOFs. Single-crystal X-ray structures have revealed that these MOFs form three-dimensional porous networks with the aromatic tags projecting inwardly into the pores. These highly luminescent electron-rich MOFs have been successfully utilized for the detection of explosive nitroaromatic compounds (NACs) on the basis of fluorescence quenching. Although all of the prepared MOFs can serve as sensors for NACs, MOF-1 and MOF-2 exhibit superior sensitivity towards 4-nitrotoluene (4-NT) and 2,4-dinitrotoluene (DNT) compared to 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) and 1,3,5-trinitrobenzene (TNB).MOF-3, on the other hand, shows an order of sensitivity in accordance with the electron deficiencies of the substrates. To understand such anomalous behavior, we have thoroughly analyzed both the steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence quenching associated with these interactions. Determination of static Stern-Volmer constants (K S ) as well as collisional constants (K C ) has revealed that MOF-1 and MOF-2 have higher K S values with 4-NT than with TNT, whereas for MOF-3 the reverse order is observed. This apparently anomalous phenomenon was well corroborated by theoretical calculations. Moreover, recyclability and sensitivity studies have revealed that these MOFs can be reused several times and that their sensitivities towards TNT solution are at the parts per billion (ppb) level.

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