A bimetallic Re(I)-NCS-Pt(II) solid-support chemosensor for the selective detection of dimethyl sulfide in spoiled meat

A new bimetallic Re(I)-NCS-Pt(II) complex ([Re(bpy)(CO)3(NCS)–Pt(DMSO)(Cl)₂]; bpy = 2,2’-bipyridine; DMSO = dimethyl sulfoxide) was synthesized and shown to exhibit excellent sensing activity towards a volatile biogenic sulfide in solution. The complex selectively responded to dimethyl sulfide (CH₃SCH₃) in the presence of a mixture of other volatile organic compounds (VOCs), with a binding constant (log K) of 3.85 ± 0.02 in CHCl₃. To enhance its application potential for commercial or home use, the complex was incorporated into a solid-support material (polyacrylonitrile (PAN)), which was reformed to have a special morphology with high polarity and porosity. Scanning electron microscopy images revealed significant morphology differences for the PAN materials reformed under different solvent conditions. The isolated fine PAN powder doped with the active complex (PAN-1) was integrated into a sensing device for the fast detection of CH₃SCH₃ in spoiled meat samples. In the present study, a robust, easy-to-use, and naked-eye-detectable sensing device was developed and demonstrated good performance in detecting CH₃SCH₃ selectively. The detection ability of the solid sensing device was found to be in good agreement with GC-MS, with a recovery of more than 90% (RSD% = 4.3). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.