Synthesis, Thermal Behavior and Metal Selectivity of New Benzyloxy-Pyridine Compound

In this study, a novel benzyloxy-pyridine derivative, 2-(benzyloxy)-5-bromo-3-nitropyridine (compound L), was synthesized from benzyloxy bromide and 2-hydroxy-3-nitro-5-bromopyridine. The synthesized compound (L) was characterized by spectroscopic techniques. 1H-NMR data were used to determine the chemical shift values (ppm) of all protons in the compound and the coupling constants (Hz) for the relevant protons. 13C-NMR was used to determine the chemical shift values (ppm) for all carbons. ¹H- and ¹³C-NMR spectra unambiguously supported the proposed molecular structure. FT-IR spectroscopy confirmed the presence of key functional groups through characteristic absorption bands. High-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) confirmed the molecular composition clearly, with the observed mass closely matching the calculated value. Thermal properties of compound L were investigated under a nitrogen atmosphere at a heating rate of 10 ℃ min⁻¹ using TGA/DTA techniques, revealing good thermal stability up to approximately 300 ℃ followed by complete decomposition without residue formation. The metal selectivity of compound L was evaluated fluorometrically with different metal salts. For this purpose, compound L was interacted with alkali metal (Li+, Na+, K+), alkaline earth metal (Mg2+, Ca2+), post-transition metal (Al3+), and transition metal (Cr3+, Fe3+, Co2+, Ni2+, Cu2+, Zn2+, and Ag+) salts at a concentration of 1:100 (ligand:metal) in ethanol medium. The results show that compound L exhibits selectivity with a distinct fluorescence quenching effect toward specific metal ions (Cr3+, Fe3+, and Cu2+).