Design and synthesis of chemosensors based on 7-ferrocenylpyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidines for the detection of H+ and CN-

Abstract

This work investigates the rational design of novel chemosensors based on hybrid inorganic/organic structures for detecting H+ and CN-. The synthesis of chemosensors that integrate ferrocene and pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine molecules is due to the D-A behavior this hybrid system exhibits. A solvatochromic study of 7-ferrocenyl-2-methylpyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine, along with a multiparametric analysis from Catalán's coefficients, is made to understand better how the probe molecule interacts with different solvents in the determination and quantification of H+, with calculated LoD of 0.63 µmol L-1. The integration of an indolium moiety was used for the colorimetric sensing of CN-. The chemosensor showed an intense red coloration losing upon the nucleophilic addition of CN- to the chemosensor molecule with calculated LoD of 0.11 µmol L-1, well below the WHO requirements (1.9 µmol L-1).