Selective Fe2+ ion recognition using a fluorescent pyridinyl-benzoimidazole-derived ionophore

Abstract

Fluorescent organic molecules that respond to changes in the Fe 2+ concentration with selectivity to other abundant di-valent metal ions will offer the ability to understand the dynamic fluctuations of the Fe2+ ion in interesting media. The use of 6-Br-ppmbi, derived from 2-pyridin-2-yl-benzimidazole, for metal ion-selective fluorescence recognition was investigated. Screening of the main group and transition metal ions showed exclusive selectivity for Fe2+ ions even in the presence of competing metal ions. In addition, the requirement for low concentrations of probe molecules to detect certain amounts of Fe2+ ions make this sensor unique compared to previously reported Fe2+ ion sensors.