LAUSR

Abstract Isocyanates are important industrial raw materials, but they are hazardous to human health. Especially, gaseous isocyanates cause serious public health problems. Therefore, it is significant to monitor isocyanates in air. In this work, a novel ratiometric fluorescent probe based on a new fluorophore platform, which is designed by inserting a styryl π-bridge between donor and acceptor units of 1, 8-naphthalimide, was developed for quantitative detection of gaseous isocyanates. In the presence of isocyanates, fluorescence of probe solution changed from orange to yellow-green, which caused by alteration of substituent at the 4th position of styryl group resulted from reaction between isocyanates and probe, thus achieving ratiometric detection for isocyanates. And this probe exhibited a fast, sensitive and selective response towards isocyanates. Furthermore, probe solution absorption method was employed to detect quantitatively isocyanates in air. This strategy may be a powerful tool for monitoring isocyanates in air, and also provide a referable approach for detection of volatile organic compounds in air.