Chromogenic detection of hydrogen sulfide using squarylium-based chemosensors.

Squarylium-based colorimetric hydrogen sulfide (H ₂ S) chemosensors (SQ1, SQ2, and SQ3) were developed, and their detection properties were systematically characterized. SQ1 exhibited rapid and high resolution H ₂ S sensing properties through significant color changes detectable by naked-eye with limit of detection as low as 7.2 ppb. SQ1 also showed excellent selectivity for H ₂ S detection over other relevant anions and nucleophiles. Sensing mechanisms of SQ1 were investigated based on spectroscopic and ¹ H NMR analyses with quantum calculations. Furthermore, SQ1 showed an efficient response to H2S under versatile conditions in the solution, solid, and dyed fabric states, which suggests applicability of SQ1 to simple, low-cost, and practical H ₂ S sensors.
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
(Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier B.V.)