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A novel "turn-on" fluorescent probe for detection of Al3+ based on pyrene fluorophore. [Display omitted] • A novel "turn-on" fluorescent chemosensor for Al3+ detection was developed based on pyrene fluorophore. • The probe exhibited strong anti-interference recognition and low detection limit of 30.7 nM toward Al3+. • The probe exhibited excellent sensitivity and selectivity toward Al3+ based on breakage of the C N bond mechanism. • The probe was suitable for detecting Al3+ ions in test papers. Based on the classical Schiff base reaction, fluorescent probe dimethyl 5-((pyren-1-ylmethylene)amino)isophthalate (PAI) is designed and synthesized through introducing Schiff base structure to pyrene unit for structural modification. The structure of the synthesized probe PAI is determined and characterized by FT-IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR and HRMS. PAI is a type of "turn-on" probe which can specifically recognize Al3+ ion with high selectivity. The limit of detection is calculated to be 3.07 × 10−8 M, which proves the probe's high sensitivity and is lower than that of many efficient reported probes. The probe PAI is intrinsically non-fluorescent due to the photoinduced electron transfer (PET) process. However, the addition of Al3+ ion leads to the breakage of the carbon–nitrogen double bond of Schiff base in PAI resulting in the product without PET property, which shows a typical localized state with enhanced fluorescence and blue color. In addition, PAI can recognize Al3+ ion through test papers, which is in favor of the future research regarding to Al3+ ion sensing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Multi-pollutants could be detected through probe PBD with practical application. • Hydrolysis of C N bond in PBD 's is targeted and catalyzed by Fe3+, Al3+ and Cr3+. • PBD could recognize Hg2+ based on chelation assisted fluorescence quenching. • Mesotrione could fracture C N bond of PBD through intermolecular hydrogen bonding. • This detecting approach contributes the environmental pollutants monitoring. In regards to environmental protection, the detection of metal ions and pesticide residues remains meaningful and challenging. Herein, we report a novel multifunctional fluorescent probe based on a pyrene derivative, 4-[(pyren-1-ylimino)methyl]benzene-1,3-diol (PBD), that can recognize Al3+, Cr3+, Fe3+ and mesotrione with quantification of the sample being tested. In addition, the PBD probe can detect Hg2+ in a "turn-off" fluorescent mode. It is worth noting that the hydrolysis of carbon–nitrogen double bonds in the PBD Schiff base structure is targeted and catalyzed by Fe3+, Al3+ and Cr3+ cations, while mesotrione can also promote the hydrolysis of Schiff bases through the formation of intermolecular hydrogen bonds. Consequently, the PBD probe with weak fluorescence was converted to 1-aminopyrene in a localized state, showing stronger fluorescence. In addition, chelation may lead to fluorescence quenching of the PBD probe in the presence of Hg2+. The quantitative determination of Fe3+, Al3+, Cr3+ and mesotrione is achieved in which the limit of detection (LOD) is calculated to be 0.52, 0.30, 0.32 and 0.70 μM, respectively. Hg2+ detection is realized with an LOD of 1.93 μM. Moreover, the sensitive PBD probe is utilized to determine the amount mesotrione in actual water samples, demonstrating its potential practical applications. In addition, the multifunctional PBD probe can be employed for intracellular imaging of Fe3+ and Hg2+ based on its low cytotoxicity and certain water solubility. The present work describes a very competitive fluorescent probe for the detection of different types of pollutants, which is relevant to future research regarding environmental contaminant monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]