Selective detection of zinc ions with novel luminescent lanthanide probes

Abstract

A remarkable enhancement of luminescence is observed in a solution of the TbIII complex 1 upon adding ZnII ions (see picture). Complex 1 has a high selectivity for ZnII and a long luminescence lifetime of the order of milliseconds, thus is an excellent lead compound for the development of ZnII-sensitive luminescent chemosensors with long luminescence lifetimes. A = light absorption, ET = energy transfer, E = light emission.