A new dual functional sensor: highly selective colorimetric chemosensor for Fe3+ and fluorescent sensor for Mg2+

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Materials Science
• Supramolecular Chemistry

Background:

• Development of selective sensors for metal ions is crucial for environmental and biological monitoring.
• Existing methods for detecting Fe(3+) and Mg(2+) often lack selectivity or require complex instrumentation.
• Artificial receptors offer a promising avenue for developing simple and effective sensing platforms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize a novel artificial receptor capable of detecting Fe(3+) and Mg(2+) ions.
• To evaluate the receptor's performance as a colorimetric sensor for Fe(3+) and a fluorescent sensor for Mg(2+).
• To assess the sensor's selectivity in the presence of various interfering metal ions.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of artificial receptor 1.
• Colorimetric detection of Fe(3+) in acetonitrile (CH(3)CN).
• Fluorescent detection of Mg(2+) in a CH(3)CN/H(2)O mixture (8:2, v/v).
• Selectivity studies with common metal ions (Cr(3+), Mn(2+), Co(3+), Ni(2+), Cu(2+), Ag(+), Cd(2+), Pb(2+), Ca(2+), K(+)).

Main Results:

• The synthesized receptor demonstrated selective colorimetric detection of Fe(3+) with a color change from colorless to brown in CH(3)CN.
• A significant 70-fold fluorescence enhancement was observed for Mg(2+) detection in a CH(3)CN/H(2)O mixture.
• The sensor exhibited excellent selectivity, with no interference from other tested metal ions for either Fe(3+) or Mg(2+) detection.

Conclusions:

• A new artificial receptor has been successfully synthesized for the simultaneous detection of Fe(3+) and Mg(2+).
• The receptor functions as a highly selective and sensitive colorimetric sensor for Fe(3+) and a fluorescent sensor for Mg(2+).
• This sensor platform holds potential for applications in environments where selective metal ion detection is required.