Triazole-based C3-symmetric multivalent dendritic architecture as Cu(II) ion sensor

Abstract

C3-symmetric triazole-based multivalent dendritic architecture having uniform aromatic core and branches has been employed to study its metal binding ability towards Cr(III), Mn(II), Fe(III), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II) ions. The dendritic architecture is found to exhibit a high affinity for Cu(II) ions and formed a solid complex with a blue shift in the dd-band of Cu(II) chloride. X-band EPR spectra at low temperature has supported a distorted tetrahedral geometry for the complex. The complex has displayed quasi-reversible redox waves in cyclic voltammetry (CV). DFT calculations have shown that Cu(II) has a high affinity for the dendritic structure, leading to high complexation energies of the order of -25 eV, showing that the complexation reactions are highly exothermic. The binding constant (K) for the Cu(II) complex has been determined using a fluorescence titration method.