Fluorescent UO₂(II) and ZrO(II) complexes: Synthesis, structural characterization, fluorescence, DNA binding studies and biological applications in cell probing

Abstract

Highlights• New fluorescent UO 2 (II) and ZrO(II) azo-complexes have been synthesized and characterized.• The complexes were tested as cell staining and imaging under fluorescent microscope.• The binding constant (Kb) with DNA has been calculated using UV-vis absorption titration and fluorescence spectral methods.• New ZrO(II) azo-complexe based on 5-nitro-8-hydroxyquinoline can be effectively used as fluorescent probes in studying cell biology.