Vapochromic and vapoluminescent paper-based sensors based on a Zn(salen-type) complex for the discriminative detection of volatile primary aliphatic mono- and diamines vapours

Volatile primary aliphatic mono- and diamines are compounds involved in various contexts, PBS-1 show different colour and fluorescence changes upon exposure to vapours of BA and EDA, ascribable to the formation of mono- and di-adducts respectively, enabling their unambiguous discrimination.3,4 Moreover, PBS-1 allow to quantify BA (LOD = 2.0 ppm) and EDA (LOD = 6.6 ppm), with limits of detection below the permissible exposure limits (PELs) established by Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for BA (5.0 ppm) and EDA (10.0 ppm).3,4 for example as raw materials in many industrial processes and for monitoring of environmental pollution and food-spoilage.1 For these reasons, chemosensors able to discriminate vapours of these chemically similar analytes are highly desirable. Here, we present a study of paper-based sensors based on a vapochromic and vapoluminescent Zn(salen-type) complex 1 (PBS-1)2,3 capable of discriminating n-butylamine (BA)3 and ethylenediamine (EDA)4 vapours, as prototypes of volatile primary aliphatic monoamines and diamines, respectively (Figure 1).