Fluorometric trace methanol detection in ethanol and isopropanol in a water medium for application in alcoholic beverages and hand sanitizers

Detection of methanol (MeOH) in an ethanol (EtOH)/isopropanol ((i)PrOH) medium containing water is crucial to recognize MeOH poisoning in alcoholic beverages and hand sanitizers. Although chemical sensing methods are very sensitive and easy to perform, the chemical similarities between the alcohols make MeOH detection very challenging particularly in the presence of water. Herein, the fluorometric detection of a trace amount of MeOH in EtOH/(i)PrOH in the presence of water using alcohol coordinated Al(iii)-complexes of an aldehydic phenol ligand containing a dangling pyrazole unit is described. The presence of MeOH in the EtOH/(i)PrOH causes a change of the complex geometry from tetrahedral (Td) to octahedral (Oh) due to the replacement of the coordinated EtOH/(i)PrOH by MeOH molecules. The Td-complex exhibited fluorescence but the Oh-species did not, because of the intramolecular photo-induced electron transfer (PET). By interacting the Oh species with water, its one MeOH coordination is replaced by a water molecule followed by the proton transfer from the water to pyrazole-N which generates strong fluorescence by inhibiting the PET. In contrast, the water interaction dissociates the Td-complex to exhibit fluorescence quenching. The water induced reversal of the fluorescence response from the decrease to increase between the absence and presence of MeOH is utilized to detect MeOH in an EtOH/(i)PrOH medium containing water with a sensitivity of ∼0.03–0.06% (v/v). The presence of water effected the MeOH detection and allows the estimation of the MeOH contamination in alcoholic beverages and hand sanitizers containing large amounts of water.