Fluorometric Detection of Sarin Vapor Using Fluorene and Fluorenone Derivatives

Nerve agents are a deadly type of chemical warfare agent (CWA) that have been used in terrorist attacks, wars and assassinations. The G‐type nerve agent sarin (GB), which can be used in vapor form, represents a particular threat as a weapon of mass destruction. In this article, we present the synthesis of several fluorene and fluorenone derivatives and their exposure to real sarin in the gas phase. One of these derivatives, referred to as probe (5) , was particularly effective, showing an increase of emission intensity after exposure. Stability and selectivity tests demonstrating the potential of probe (5) as a fluorometric probe are reported. The fluorescent properties of probe (5) were also studied to understand how its response could be improved in the future.