Reversible Colorimetric Sensor for Moisture Detection in Organic Solvents and Application in Inkless Writing

Colorimetric sensors based on Sudan-III (1) and Alizarin red S (2) have been developed for the detection of a trace amount of water in organic solvents such as THF, acetone, acetonitrile, and DMSO. The deprotonated (anionic) forms of 1 and 2 namely 1.F and 2.F are reprotonated by using a trace amount of water. Deprotonation of 1 and 2 was obtained by using fluoride anion. Test papers of 1.F and 2.F in organic solvents with and without moisture showed dramatic changes in color. Receptor 1.F exhibits high sensitivity for water in acetone and THF with the detection limit as low as 0.0042 and 0.0058 wt %. Remarkably, probes 1.F and 2.F are reversible in nature both in solution and in test strips. 1.F and 2.F are reversible and reusable for sensing moisture in the organic solvents with high selectivity, high sensitivity, and fast response. The reversible moisture sensor 1.F has also been used for application in inkless writing.