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pH-dependent Synthesis and Interactions of Fluorescent L-Histidine Capped Copper Nanoclusters with Metal Ions

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Abstract

In this work, L-Histidine-protected copper nanoclusters synthesized by changing the pH levels of precursor solution have been shown to display different emission wavelengths and intensities. As determined by mass spectrometry, nanoclusters Cu3L2 synthesized at acidic pH have 3 atoms in their core and emit in the greenish-yellow region, and nanoclusters Cu2L2, synthesized in the basic conditions have 2 atoms in their core and emit in the blue-green region. They are expected to have coordination through the carboxylate group and nitrogen of the imidazole ring of histidine ligand, respectively. Metal ions Mg2+, Mn2+, Zn2+, and Pb2+ selectively enhance the interaction between carboxylate – copper metal core and increase the emission intensity of Cu3L2. These metal ions weaken the interaction between imidazole nitrogen and copper metal core and quench the emission intensity of Cu2L2. As synthesized, nanoclusters exhibit good water solubility and photostability, they can act as fluorescent probes to sense the metal ions, therefore, they were utilized for the optical sensing of the mentioned metal ions. Fluorescent nanoclusters were found to sense even a very low concentration of metal ions with a limit of detection (3 σ/slope) in nanomolar range.

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  • 26 September 2023

    To correct the placements of the floats of the figures and schemes in the PDF version as well as their corresponding captions. Also, to captured ‘2+’ as superscript of metal ion (Pb, Zn, Hg, Mn) in references number 23, 25, 31, 32 respectively.

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Acknowledgements

For the stipend R.M. thank the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), India. R. M. and N. G. thank the Department of Chemistry at Netaji Subash University of Technology (NSUT) for providing the facilities.

Funding

Author R.M. has received research support from the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), India (Grant number -CSIRAWARD/JRF-NET2021/113630). The authors declare that no funds, grants, or other support were received during the preparation of this manuscript.

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  1. Department of Chemistry, Netaji Subhas University of Technology, Dwarka Sector-3, Dwarka, Delhi, 110078, India

    Ritika Mittal & Nancy Gupta

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Ritika Mittal has performed the literature search, experimental, data analysis, drafted and critically revised the work. Nancy Gupta has contributed to the conceptualization and critical revision of the work. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Nancy Gupta.

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Mittal, R., Gupta, N. pH-dependent Synthesis and Interactions of Fluorescent L-Histidine Capped Copper Nanoclusters with Metal Ions. J Fluoresc (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10895-023-03433-7

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