Dinuclear uranyl coordination compound: Structural investigations and selective fluorescence sensing properties

Abstract

The presence of Pb(II) ions and antibiotics in water beyond the permissible limits are among the leading factors causing water pollution. Therefore, their identification is quite necessary. In this article, we are concerned with a new dinuclear uranyl coordination compound holding a 1,3-bis(2-oxy-3-methoxybenzylidene)propan-2-olate moiety, in which each uranyl ion is seven coordinated. To obtain additional insights into the structure, DFT analyses were performed. Furthermore, Hirshfeld surface analysis was also recorded to determine the various intermolecular interactions in the studied coordination compound. The studied dinuclear uranyl coordination compound exhibited excellent fluorescence properties in water making it a promising candidate for sensing Pb(II) ions and antibiotics. The results suggest the studied compound has a high sensitivity for Pb(II) ions and the antibiotic Cefuroxime, with detection limits of 44.7 and 175 nM, respectively.