Fe^III -Salen-Based Probes for the Selective and Sensitive Detection of E450 in Foodstuff

Inorganic pyrophosphate (PPi) is considered as a diagnostic marker for various diseases such as cancer and vascular calcification. PPi also plays an important preservative role as an additive E450 in foodstuff. In this work, a selective Fe^III -salen-based probe for PPi is described; this probe disassembles in the presence of the target analyte into its molecular blocks, 1,2-propanediamine and 3-chloro-5-formyl-4-hydroxybenzenesulfonic acid. The latter signaling unit leads to a fluorometric response. Compared with a related prototype, the new complex shows a 2.3-times stronger emission at 500 nm and a 155-times better selectivity of PPi over adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Importantly, the new probe was successfully applied for detecting E450 in foodstuff.