Anthracenyl Benzimidazole: A Smart Optical Probe for Determination of Bilirubin at Nanomolar Level
Sukriti Mukherjee, Sutapa Changdar, Somnath Khanra, Sisir Lohar, Debasis DasABSTRACT
A unique benzimidazole derivative viz. 2‐anthracen‐9‐yl‐1‐phenyl‐1H‐benzoimidazole (L3) is synthesized and structurally authenticated by single crystal x‐ray diffraction analysis. The L3 selectively detects bilirubin at nano molar level via ratiometric fluorescence enhancement in DMSO/H 2 O (9:1, v/v) media. In presence of bilirubin the L3 forms excimer. The limit of detection (LOD) and association constant for bilirubin are 23.25 nM and 2.23×10 5 M −1 respectively. Time‐correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) experiment indicates fluorescence life time enhancement from 1.84 ns for L3 to 2.46 ns, upon addition of bilirubin.