1. Sensors and Actuators B 221 (2015) 75–80
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Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical
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Short communication
Isolation of biochanin A, an isoflavone, and its selective sensing of
copper(II) ion
Sheik Dawood Shahida Parveena
, Basuvaraj Suresh Kumara
, Sekar Raj Kumara
,
Raihana Imran Khana
, Kasi Pitchumania,b,∗
a
School of Chemistry, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai, India
b
Centre for Green Chemistry Processes, School of Chemistry, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai 625021, India
a r t i c l e i n f o
Article history:
Received 16 February 2015
Received in revised form 5 June 2015
Accepted 10 June 2015
Available online 25 June 2015
Keywords:
Biochanin A
Fluorescent sensor
Intramolecular charge transfer (ICT)
Job’s plot
Density functional theory (DFT) calculations
a b s t r a c t
Biochanin A (BnA) a natural o-methylated isoflavone, is isolated from the leaves of Eupatorium adenapho-
rum and is effectively utilized as a sensor probe for copper ion with good selectivity and sensitivity. The
effect with the presence of other metal ions is also investigated and BnA is found to be selective towards
Cu2+
ion over other metal ions such as Zn2+
, Sn2+
, Ni2+
, Ag+
, Bi2+
, Pb2+
, Co3+
, In3+
, Mn2+
, Fe2+
, Li+
, Hg2+
and
Ca2+
at pH 7.1 with a detection limit upto 1.0 × 10−6
mol L−1
. The sensor probe BnA exhibits selective
fluorescence quenching via an intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) upon addition of Cu2+
. The proposed
mechanism is strongly supported by TD-DFT calculations and the 1:1 complex (BnA–Cu2+
) formation is
confirmed by ESI-MS and Job’s plot.
© 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
1. Introduction
Secondary metabolites are compounds that are commonly
present in both edible and nonedible plants, and they have been
reported to have multiple biological effects. Eupatorium adenophora
(Spreng.) belongs to the family of Asteraceae, is a perennial, herba-
ceous invasive plant that has invaded more than 30 countries
and regions in tropical and subtropical zones of the world. It is
reported to possess diverse medicinal properties and finds use in
traditional medicines [1]. The leaves are used as astringent, thermo-
genic and a stimulant in folklore medicine in India. The compounds
isolated from this plant are shown to possess allelopathic, phyto-
toxic, antifeedant and anti tumour activities. Biochanin A, isolated
from this plant, plays a potential role in prostate cancer chemo-
prevention through the enhancement of TRAIL-mediated apoptosis
[2], exerts chemo preventive effects by suppressing sUV-induced
COX-2 expression mediated through MLK3 inhibition [3] and has
promising effects on bone formation [4]. The copper ion is an impor-
tant metal pollutant in human system. Exposure to a high level of
copper even for a short period of time can cause gastrointestinaldis-
turbance, and long-term exposure causes kidney and liver damage
∗ Corresponding author at: Centre for Green Chemistry Processes, School of Chem-
istry, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai 625021, India. Tel.: +91 452 2456614;
fax: +91 452 2459181.
E-mail address: pit12399@yahoo.com (K. Pitchumani).
[5]. The cellular toxicity of copper ions causes Alzheimer’s disease
[6], Indian childhood cirrhosis (ICC) [7], prion disease [8], Menkes
and Wilson diseases [9].
Among the various reported sensors for copper ions, fluorescent
and colorimetric sensors have attracted considerable attention, as
they are more sensitive and also possess advantageous features
such as low cost, rapid detection and in situ analysis. However,
most of the reported protocols involve toxic and synthetic reagents,
interference from other metal ions and limited biocompatibility.
Therefore, developing a new fluorescent chemosensors for cop-
per ion that behaves well under physiological conditions is highly
desirable, it is relevant to note here that, isolated phytochemicals
are not explored in applications towards metal ion sensing in spite
of their use as sources of energy, drug or dye. Recently, our group
has reported selective sensing of silver ion using berberine [10]
and there is also a report on curcumin as sensor for fluoride ion
[11]. Those interesting features prompted us to develop for the
first time an isolated flavonoid phytochemical namely biochanin
A (BnA), a natural o-methylated isoflavone, as a sensor probe for
copper ion with good selectivity and sensitivity, using absorbance
and fluorescence studies.
2. Materials and methods
UV–Vis absorption spectra were recorded using JASCO-(V550)
double beam spectrophotometer using quartz cell with a volume
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.snb.2015.06.060
0925-4005/© 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

2. 76 S.D. Shahida Parveen et al. / Sensors and Actuators B 221 (2015) 75–80
of 2 mL and 1 cm path length at room temperature. All fluorescence
measurements were recorded on a Fluoromax-4 Spectrofluorome-
ter (HORIBA JOBIN YVON) with a band pass in 1 cm × 1 cm quartz
cell and excitation and emission slit width set at 5.0 nm. The geome-
tries of BnA and its complex with metal ions were optimized using
TD-DFT/B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) and LANL2DZ(d) levels, respectively,
using Gaussian 09 package in acetonitrile. Electrospray ioniza-
tion mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) analysis was performed in the
negative ion mode on a liquid chromatography – with mass spec-
trometry (LCQ Fleet, Thermo Fisher Instruments Limited, US). NMR
spectra were recorded on a Bruker 300 MHz spectrometer, with
CDCl3 as solvent and TMS as an internal standard.
2.1. Plant collection and isolation
Leaves of Eupatorium adenaphorum were collected from Nadu-
vattam village in Nilgiris district, Tamil Nadu, India at September
2013. The collected plant was rinsed with tap water and dried
in air under the shade with occasional shifting, ground to pow-
der manually and stored at RT in the dark conditions. The dried
powder material was extracted with petroleum ether (60 ◦C) four
times to defat and remove chlorophyll. It was further extracted
with ethanol under Soxhlet method four times. The concentrated
ethanolic extract was fractionated using medium pressure liquid
chromatography (MPLC) to afford several fractions. Among them,
one fraction was subjected to column chromatography on silica gel
(230–400 mesh) using CHCl3: MeOH (98:2) as solvent with slow
elution to afford BnA. The isolated BnA is characterized by 1H-NMR,
13C, UV–Vis spectroscopy and mass spectrometry (Figs. S1–S4 in
supporting information).
2.2. Preparation of stock solutions and absorption and
fluorescence titration
All measurements were carried out in double distilled water
which is free from ions. Stock solutions of the metal chloride salts
with the concentration of (1 × 10−3 M) were prepared in water. The
stock solution (1 × 10−3 M) was prepared by dissolving 0.028 g of
BnA in 100 mL ACN–water (v/v, 1:1) phosphate buffer medium at
pH 7.1. For all measurements of fluorescence spectra, excitation
was at 290 nm with excitation and emission slit widths at 5.0 nm.
UV/Vis and fluorescence titration experiments were performed
using 1 × 10−4 M of BnA in ACN–water (v/v, 1:1) phosphate buffer
medium at 7.1 with varying concentrations of the metal chloride
salts.
3. Results and discussion
3.1. Selective sensing of Cu2+ ion
The spectral changes in probe BnA, upon addition of different
metal ions was studied using UV–Vis absorption spectra. Various
metal ions, such as Cu2+, Zn2+, Sn2+, Ni2+, Ag+, Bi2+, Pb2+, Co3+, In3+,
Mn2+, Fe2+, Li+, Hg2+ and Ca2+ were tested in ACN–water (v/v, 1:1)
phosphate buffer medium at pH 7.1. The observed results indicate
that the characteristic UV–Vis. absorbance band centred at 335 nm
for BnA decreased and a new peak at 375 nm appeared along with
an increase in absorbance upon addition of Cu2+ ion as shown in
Fig. 1, which is attributed to the complex formation between BnA
and copper ion. On the other hand, upon addition of various other
metal ions (5.0 × 10−5 mol L−1) to a solution of BnA, no significant
change is observed.
The fluorescence behaviour of BnA is also investigated in phos-
phate buffer medium, which shows a characteristic emission band
at 471 nm. In presence of Cu2+ (1.0 × 10−5 mol L−1), BnA shows
Fig. 1. UV–Vis spectra of BnA (1.0 × 10−4
mol L−1
) in the presence of Cu2+
and vari-
ous metal ions, Cu2+
, Zn2+
, Sn2+
, Ni2+
, Ag+
, Bi2+
, Pb2+
, Co3+
, In3+
, Mn2+
, Fe2+
, Li+
, Hg2+
and Ca2+
(5.0 × 10−5
mol L−1
) in ACN–water 1:1 (v/v) phosphate buffer at 7.1.
significant fluorescence quenching (Fig. 2) which is due to the for-
mation of complex between BnA and Cu2+.
Addition of other metal ions, such as Zn2+, Sn2+, Ni2+, Ag+, Bi2+,
Pb2+, Co3+, In3+, Mn2+, Fe2+, Li+, Hg2+ and Ca2+ (1.0 × 10−5 mol L−1),
shows almost negligible effect on the fluorescence behaviour of
BnA. The bar chart showing the response of BnA in the presence
of different metal ions, such as Zn2+, Sn2+, Ni2+, Ag+, Bi2+, Pb2+,
Co3+, In3+, Mn2+, Fe2+, Li+, Hg2+ and Ca2+ at a concentration of
1.0 × 10−4 M, shown in Fig. 3. These results clearly indicate that
the ligand selectively binds only with Cu2+, over other metal ions.
To investigate further the non-interference from other metal
ions on the ability of BnA to detect Cu2+, the response of BnA to Cu2+
in the presence of other metal ions is measured in buffer medium.
Fig. 2. Emission spectra of BnA (1.0 × 10−4
mol L−1
) in the presence of various metal
ions, (1.0 × 10−4
mol L−1
) Cu2+
, Zn2+
, Sn2+
, Ni2+
, Ag+
, Bi2+
, Pb2+
, Co3+
, In3+
, Mn2+
, Fe2+
,
Li+
, Hg2+
and Ca2+
in phosphate buffer at pH 7.1 ( ex = 290 nm, em = 471 nm, slit
width: 5 nm/5 nm).

3. S.D. Shahida Parveen et al. / Sensors and Actuators B 221 (2015) 75–80 77
Fig. 3. Bar chart for emission response of various metal ions with BnA in ACN–water
(1:1, v/v) ratio in phosphate buffer at pH 7.1 ( ex = 290 nm, em = 471 nm).
The emission spectra in Fig. S5 show that BnA selectively senses
Cu2+ ion.
3.2. Sensitivity studies
To study its sensitivity towards Cu2+, BnA (1.0 × 10−4 mol L−1)
is titrated against Cu2+ (2.0 × 10−6 mol L−1 to 1.0 × 10−4 mol L−1)
at pH 7.1 (Fig. 4). Upon gradual addition of Cu2+, the fluorescent
intensity decreases gradually.
Fluorescence response is linearly proportional to the concen-
tration of Cu2+ in the range of 2.0 × 10−6 to 1.0 × 10−4 mol L−1.
From Fig. 5, the value of linearly dependent coefficient (R2) is
found to be 0.9959. The detection limit (LOD) is measured to be
1.0 × 10−6 mol L−1. The stoichiometry of the complex formation of
BnA with Cu2+ is found to be 1:1 using Job’s plot (Fig. S6).
The interaction of probe BnA with Cu2+ i.e., formation of 1:1
complexis further evidencedby ESI-MSspectrumas shown in Fig. 6.
Initially a peak at m/z 283.24 is observed for BnA which corresponds
to [BnA – H]. (Actual mass for BnA is 284.) When 1.0 equiv. of
Cu2+ is added, a new peak appears at m/z 459.32 corresponding
to (BnA + CuCl2 + ACN).
Fig. 4. Linear plot of fluorescence intensity variation of BnA (in triplicate) upon
change in concentration of Cu2+
ion (2 × 10−6
to 1 × 10−4
mol L−1
) in ACN–water
(1:1, v/v) ratio in phosphate buffer at pH 7.1 ( ex = 290 nm, em = 471 nm).
Fig. 5. Fluorescence emission spectra of BnA (1.0 × 10−4
mol L−1
) upon addition of
Cu2+
ion (2 × 10−6
to 1.0 × 10−4
mol L−1
) in ACN–water (1:1, v/v) ratio in phosphate
buffer at pH 7.1 ( exi = 290 nm, em = 471 nm).
3.3. Influence of pH, stability and reproducibility during the
measurements
The influence of pH on the probe BnA and on binding with Cu2+
ion was studied using fluorescence technique (Fig. S7). The fluores-
cence intensity at 471 nm remains constant at the pH range of 5–8
and the intensity rapidly decrease above pH 8 due to the deproto-
nation of phenolic-OH. Hence this probe BnA is suitable to analyze
in the pH range of 5–8. After addition of Cu2+ ion to BnA, the flu-
orescence intensity was quenched due to the 1:1 copper complex
formation, ascribed to the deprotonation of phenolic-OH group and
the formation of a new bond with the carbonyl oxygen.
Time-dependent fluorescence intensity of BnA in Cu2+ ion
detection was also studied. The intensity decreases abruptly and
remains constant after 20 s (Fig. S8). This result clearly indicates
that this probe provides a rapid measurement of Cu2+ ion. It is also
observed that this sensor probe shows good response even after
two months.
To determine the reproducibility of the sensor probe BnA, each
sample was analyzed at least three times at three different con-
centrations (1 × 10−6 to 1 × 10−4 mol L−1) which is shown in Table
S1. The change in fluorescence intensity was very less (≤±0.2 a.u.).
Hence, it is clear that the reproducibility of the sensor probe is good.
3.4. Theoretical calculations
The geometries of BnA and its complexes with metal ions were
optimized using TD-DFT/B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) and LANL2DZ(d)
levels, respectively, using Gaussian 09 package in acetonitrile as
solvent. As shown in Fig. 7a, the optimized geometry of the sensor
probe BnA shows effective binding sites to form a 1:1 complex with
Cu2+ (Fig. 7b) and this result supports the experimental findings
obtained from Job’s plot and ESI-MS analysis of the complex.
Calculated max values and oscillator strengths in UV–Vis
spectra of BnA and its metal complexes in the TD-DFT/B3LYP/6-
311++G(d,p) and LANL2DZ(d) levels in acetonitrile medium are
shown in Table S2. The calculated max values by TD-DFT results are
in good agreement with the corresponding experimental values.
In free BnA the contribution of HOMO to LUMO is higher (Table 1,
entry 1) whereas HOMO to LUMO+1 and LUMO+2 are low (Table 1,
entries 2 & 3). After binding of Cu2+ ion to BnA, the magnitude of

4. 78 S.D. Shahida Parveen et al. / Sensors and Actuators B 221 (2015) 75–80
Fig. 6. ESI-Mass spectrum of BnA copper complex (BnA + CuCl2 + ACN).
Fig. 7. (a) The optimized geometry of the sensor probe BnA and (b) its 1:1 complex with Cu2+
.
HOMO to LUMO transition has decreased very significantly from
0.7942 to 0.1015 (Table 1, entries 1 & 4) and other transitions also
decreased (Table 1, entries 2, 5 and 3, 6) indicating clearly the flu-
orescence quenching via an intramolecular charge transfer (ICT)
upon addition of Cu2+.
To get an insight into the electronic behavior of BnA in the pres-
ence and absence of Cu2+ ion, TD-DFT calculations were performed.
The plots of HOMO and LUMO of BnA (Fig. 8) show that the C and
B rings behave as a HOMO, whereas the whole B ring behaves as a
LUMO. After binding with Cu2+ ion in BnA, the phenyl group (B ring)
now has the HOMO character, but the whole -moiety (A and C
rings) is represented as LUMO which is shown in Fig. 8. This clearly
Table 1
Oscillator strength values of BnA and BnA/Cu(II) complex calculated from Gaussian
software.
Entry Transition Oscillator
strength (f)
1
Free BnA
H → L 0.7942
2 H → L + 1 0.0065
3 H → L + 2 0.0009
4
BnA + Cu2+
complex
H → L 0.1015
5 H → L + 1 0.0042
6 H → L + 2 0.0007
shows the relatively well-separated charge distribution between
the HOMO and LUMO levels indicating substantial charge transfer
from the phenyl group to the A and C rings when the molecule is
excited.
A plausible mechanism for the sensing of Cu2+ was given in
Scheme 1. When Cu2+ is added, intramolecular charge transfer
occurs (ICT) which subsequently quenches the fluorescence inten-
sity of BnA. The proposed mechanism also finds strong support
from the observation of an intense peak at m/z. 459.32 in ESI-MS
(Fig. 8), which corresponds to (BnA + CuCl2 + ACN).
Scheme 1. Mechanism of Cu2+
sensing.

5. S.D. Shahida Parveen et al. / Sensors and Actuators B 221 (2015) 75–80 79
Fig. 8. Frontier molecular orbitals optimized at the at the TD-DFT/B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) and LANL2DZ(d) levels in acetonitrile.
Table 2
Comparison with various other probes reported for Cu2+
ion sensing.
S. No. Sensing probe Medium Detection limit Reference
1 Sulfonato-Salen-type Schiff bases Water 8.4 × 10−7
M [12]
2 1,8-Diaminonaphthalene Water 5 × 10−4
M [13]
3 Phthalocyanine tetrasulfonic acid DMSO 5.53 × 10−7
M [14]
4 l-Glutathione-capped-ZnSe quantum dots Water 2 × 10−10
M [15]
5 Polymeric nanoparticles Water 3.4 × 10−10
M [16]
6 Coumarin-based fluorescent probe Water 5 × 10−4
M [17]
7 Coumarin-derived fluorescent probe Methanol–water (1:1) 2 × 10−6
M [18]
8 BnA ACN–water (1:1) 1 × 10−6
M Present work
Comparison of BnA with the other probes in the literature for
the analysis of Cu2+ ion using fluorescence technique is given in
Table 2. Unlike other previously reported sensing probes which
are in general synthetic reagents, toxic and less biocompatible,
the present sensor system involves a naturally occurring phyto-
chemical, biochanin A and hence it there biocompatible, least toxic,
selective and possess good detection limit.
4. Conclusions
BnA, a naturally occurring anti-inflammatory agent isolated
from the leaves of Eupatorium adenaphorum is reported as a selec-
tive sensing probe for Cu2+ ion in ACN–water 1:1 (v/v) buffer
medium at pH 7.1. This sensing probe is insensitive to the pres-
ence of other metal ions namely Zn2+, Sn2+, Ni2+, Ag+, Bi2+, Pb2+,
Co3+, In3+, Mn2+, Fe2+, Li+, Hg2+ and Ca2+. When Cu2+ is added,
intramolecular charge transfer takes place (Scheme 1) which subse-
quently quenches the fluorescence intensity of BnA. The proposed
mechanism also finds strong support from the observation of
an intense peak at m/z. 459.32 in ESI-MS which corresponds to
(BnA + CuCl2 + ACN), Job’s plot and also from DFT calculations.
Acknowledgements
S.S.P gratefully acknowledges UGC, India for the financial assis-
tance under UPE programme to Madurai Kamaraj University and,
B.S.K gratefully acknowledges to UGC, India for the financial assis-
tance from UGC-BSR-SRF, K.P. thanks India for financial support.
Appendix A. Supplementary data
Supplementary data associated with this article can be found, in
the online version, at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.snb.2015.06.060
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Biographies
Sheik Dawood Shahida Parveen (1979) received her B.Sc. (Chemistry) degree from
Fatima College (Madurai Kamaraj University), Madurai in 1999, M.Sc. (Chemistry)
from Madura College (Madurai Kamaraj University), Madurai, India in 2001. At
present she is a research scholar in Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai, India. Her
research interests are isolation of phytochemicals, nanoformulation, DNA binding
and cleavage studies and sensors.
Basuvaraj Suresh Kumar (1988) received his B.Sc. (Chemistry) degree from Gov-
ernment Arts College (Bharathiyar University), Ooty in 2008, M.Sc. (Chemistry) from
Government Arts College (Bharathiyar University), Ooty in 2010 and doing Ph.D. in
Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai, India. His research interests are isolation,
characterization and bioactivity studies of secondary metabolites from medicinal
plants.
Sekar Raj Kumar (1988) received his B.Sc. (Chemistry) degree from Madura College
(Madurai Kamaraj University), Madurai in 2010, M.Sc. (Chemistry) from Madura
College (Madurai Kamaraj University), Madurai in 2012 and M. Phil. from Madurai
Kamaraj University, Madurai, India.
Raihana Imran Khan (1989) received his B.Sc. (Chemistry) degree from Jamal
Mohamed College, Trichy in 2010, M.Sc. (Chemistry) from Manonmaniam Sundara-
nar University, Tirunelveli in 2012, and doing Ph.D. in Madurai Kamaraj University,
Madurai, India. His research interests are organic transformations and designing of
sensor systems using modified cyclodextrins.
Kasi Pitchumani (1954) received his M.Sc. (Chemistry) from Madurai Kamaraj
University, Madurai, India. He has received Ph.D. from the same university in
1981 and was appointed as Professor in Organic Chemistry to till present. He did
his postdoctoral research with Prof. V. Ramamurthy, University of Miami, USA
and Prof. Akihiko Ueno, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan. He has 32 year of
teaching experience in Organic Chemistry and published 174 research articles in
peer reviewed journals. His research interests are supramolecular photochemistry,
green chemistry and chemistry in confined media like clays, zeolites, hydrotal-
cites and cyclodextrins. He is also involved in synthesis of modified cyclodextrins,
isolation of natural products and newer nanomaterials for developing sensor
applications.