An AIE active fluorescence sensor for measuring Fe³⁺ in aqueous media and an iron deficiency anemia drug

In this study, a new tetraphenylethene derivative bearing triazole and pyridine moieties (TPE-TAP) was synthesized using click chemistry. The fluorescence sensing properties of TPE-TAP were investigated in almost 100% aqueous media. For this purpose, first of all, structural characterization of the newly synthesized compound TPE-TAP was performed by NMR and HRMS analyses. Then, the optical behavior of TPE-TAP was investigated in different ratios of a THF-water mixture (0-98%). The obtained results showed that the best fluorescence for TPE-TAP was observed in the presence of 98% water in the medium. Then, the ion selectivity of TPE-TAP was determined using 19 different cations in the THF-water medium (2 : 98 v/v%). It was observed that among the cations studied, only Fe³⁺ quenched the fluorescence of TPE-TAP. The detection limit and binding constant values of TPE-TAP for Fe³⁺ were calculated as 1.3 μM and 26.65 M^-2, respectively, from the graph results of the decrease in the fluorescence intensity of TPE-TAP in the presence of Fe³⁺ at different concentrations. In addition, the study investigating the selectivity of TPE-TAP in the presence of 18 cations other than Fe³⁺ showed that none of the studied cations interfered with Fe³⁺. Practical application of TPE-TAP was also carried out using a commercial iron drug. All results showed that TPE-TAP is a fluorometric sensor highly selective, sensitive, and suitable for practical application for Fe³⁺ ions in aqueous medium.