Molecular recognition of carbonate ion using a novel turn-on fluorescent probe

[Display omitted] •A novel nicotinic hydrazone-based turn-on fluorescence probe 3 has been synthesized for the detection of carbonate ions in an aqueous medium.•The probe showed excellent selectivity, sensitivity, and good reversibility toward CO32– ions.•The deprotonation mechanism of sensing was elucidated by 1H NMR, ESI-MS spectra, and DFT calculations.•An INHIBIT-type molecular logic gate was successfully constructed using probe 3- CO32– and CH3COOH.•Probe 3 effectively senses CO32– ions in the real water samples and live cells. A novel turn-on fluorescent probe 3 was synthesized by condensing salicylaldehyde and nicotinic hydrazide for the selective detection of CO32– in aqueous medium. Probe 3 exhibited a turn-on fluorescence response toward CO32– with excellent selectivity, sensitivity (DL = 2.76 μM), and good reversibility. The binding constant (K) of probe 3 with CO32– was calculated to be 5 × 103 M−1 (log K 3.69). The 1:1 stoichiometry of the complex between probe 3 and CO32– ions was confirmed by Job's plot and ESI-MS spectra. Deprotonation and hydrogen-bonding interactions are involved in the recognition of CO32– ion, which was also suggested by 1H NMR, ESI-MS spectra, and Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations. Moreover, an INHIBIT type molecular logic gate was constructed by using 3:CO32– and CH3COOH as inputs and current signal as output. Owing to the practical applications, probe 3 demonstrated its efficiency in quantifying CO32– ion in real water samples through standard addition method, thus showcasing its potential in real environment. Further, the MTT assay indicated very low cytotoxicity (IC50 = 1 mM) of probe 3 and also the cell imaging experiments demonstrated the effective sensing of CO32– ions with probe 3 in the biological systems.