Highly sensitive and selective detection of triphosgene with a 2-(2′-hydroxyphenyl)benzimidazole derived fluorescent probe

Abstract

In this work, a 2-(2'-hydroxyphenyl)benzimidazole derived fluorescent probe, 2-(2'-hydroxy-4'-aminophenyl)benzimidazole (4-AHBI), was synthesized and its fluorescent behavior toward triphosgene were evaluated. The results showed that 4-AHBI exhibited high sensitivity (limit of detection, 0.08 nM) and excellent selectivity for triphosgene over other acyl chlorides including phosgene in CH₂Cl₂ solution. Moreover, 4-AHBI loaded test strips were prepared for the practical sensing of triphosgene.