UC Davis

The metal-binding capabilities of the spiropyran family of molecular switches have been explored for several purposes from sensing to optical circuits. Metal-selective sensing has been of great interest for applications ranging from environmental assays to industrial quality control, but sensitive metal detection for field-based assays has been elusive. In this work, we demonstrate colorimetric copper sensing at low micromolar levels. Dimethylamine-functionalized spiropyran (SP1) was synthesized and its metal-sensing properties were investigated using UV-vis spectrophotometry. The formation of a metal complex between SP1 and Cu²⁺ was associated with a color change that can be observed by the naked eye as low as ≈6 μM and the limit of detection was found to be 0.11 μM via UV-vis spectrometry. Colorimetric data showed linearity of response in a physiologically relevant range (0-20 μM Cu²⁺) with high selectivity for Cu²⁺ ions over biologically and environmentally relevant metals such as Na⁺, K⁺, Mn²⁺, Ca²⁺, Zn²⁺, Co²⁺, Mg²⁺, Ni²⁺, Fe³⁺, Cd²⁺, and Pb²⁺. Since the color change accompanying SP1-Cu²⁺ complex formation could be detected at low micromolar concentrations, SP1 could be viable for field testing of trace Cu²⁺ ions.