Study on the multirecognition mechanism of supramolecular interaction in the thiabendazole/β-cyclodextrin/Triton X-100

A strong and reproducible room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) signal (λex/λem = 298/481 nm) coming from a 1:1:1 β-cyclodextrin (β-CD)/thiabendazole (TBZ)/Triton X-100 (TX-100) supramolecular ternary inclusion complex was induced by KI, which act as a heavy-atom perturber without removing dissolved oxygen from solution. The multirecognition mechanism of the β-cyclodextrin (β-CD)/thiabendazole (TBZ)/Triton X-100 (TX-100) supramolecular ternary inclusion was studied and discussed by means of phosphorescence spectrum, surface tension of the solution, infra-red spectrograms and 1H NMR spectroscopy. Results showed that the phenyl ring of TBZ and the hydrophobic hydrocarbon chain of TX-100 could enter the hydrophobic cavity of the β-CD to form supramolecular ternary inclusion, which provided an effective protection for RTP of TBZ. Compared with the method using chemical oxygen scavenger, the heavy-atom concentration of the proposed method was decreased about four times, the lifetime of the phosphorescence was prolonged nine times, and the pH range of the supramoleculer interaction was greatly broadened.