Fluorogenic, specific detection of sarin gas mimic, diethylchlorophosphate

A highly sensitive and selective acridine-based fluorogenic sensor, AMA, has been introduced, which exhibits ratiometric behavior from cyan to blue photoluminescence under the exposure of a 365 nm UV lamp in response to diethylchlorophosphate (DCP), a mimic of sarin gas, in both liquid and vapor phases, respectively. [Display omitted] •A highly sensitive and selective acridine-based fluorogenic sensor, AMA, to detect diethylchlorophosphate (DCP), a mimic of sarin gas.•AMA shows outstanding selectivity and excellent sensitivity with an identification limit of 7.9 nM.•An AMA-coated test kit has been fabricated as a handy visual photonic device for on-spot identification.•A fluorogenic dip-stick method has been carried out to detect and quantify the DCP vapor. There is a pressing need for rapid and accurate recognition of hazardous G-series nerve agents in the solution and vapor phases to protect individuals from undesirable wars and terrorist attacks. However, achieving this goal in practice presents significant challenges. This contribution introduces a highly sensitive and selective acridine-based fluorogenic sensor, AMA, which exhibits ratiometric behavior from cyan to blue photoluminescence under the exposure of a 365 nm UV lamp in response to diethylchlorophosphate (DCP), a mimic of sarin gas, in both liquid and vapor phases, respectively. The mechanism underlying the identification of DCP using AMA has been elucidated through 1H NMR titration investigation. The fluorogenic, DCP-specific AMA shows an outstanding selectivity, excellent sensitivity, and a broad linear span of 15–38 μM, with an identification limit of 7.9 nM, which is found to be superb than many chemosensors available in the literature without any interference. To facilitate its potential practical applications, we have introduced an AMA-coated test kit utilizing Whatman-41 filter paper, which can be used as a handy and visual photonic device for on-spot identification of DCP as a mimic for sarin gas under the colonial crowding other analogous analytes. Furthermore, we have demonstrated a fluorogenic dip-stick method to detect and quantify the DCP vapor under the exposure of a 365 nm UV lamp.