A simple fluorescent chemosensor 1 exhibits a 40-fold fluorescence enhancement upon addition of lead ion and yet is insensitive to most of univalent and divalent metal ions. The high affinity of 1 toward Pb2+ presumably results from the cooperative binding behaviors of two potential metal binding sites: the dicarbonyl and the 15-monoazacrown-5 ether.

Here, we report that ExSO3H, a synthetically accessible, water-soluble, non-toxic derivative of the clinical iron chelator deferasirox, acts as colorimetric chemosensor permits detection and quantification Fe3+ in aqueous samples at pH 2–5. In addition, observed fluorescent turn-on response was produced when this allowed to interact with human serum albumin (HSA). This fluorescence quenched pre...

Bimetallic Schiff-base Al(3+) complexes bearing ester functions at the periphery of the ligands are shown to be efficient fluorescent chemosensors for picric acid detection. The prominent role of an association between the chemosensor and the picric acid in the detection process is demonstrated. The detection of picric acid in water is achieved with the sensor deposited on paper.

A novel ditopic fluorescent chemosensor 2, based on the 1,3-alternate conformation of thiacalix[4]crown possessing two complexation sites, was synthesized and shows ratiometric nanomolar detection of Cu(2+) ions and exhibits negative allosteric behaviour between Cu(2+)/Li(+) ions in mixed aqueous media.

Exposure to methylmercury causes severe damage to various tissues and organs in humans. Although a variety of fluorescent chemosensors have been exploited, only few biological monitoring systems for organomercury species have been described to date. In this report, we describe an irreversible rhodamine chemosensor for the detection of methylmercury and real-time monitoring of methylmercury in l...

A new fluorescent Zn²⁺ chemosensor (P1) based on a functionalized porphyrin was synthesized and characterized. P1 displayed dramatic ratiometric variations in absorption and fluorescent emission spectra upon exposure to Zn²⁺ due to the formation of a 1:1 Zn²⁺/P1 complex. The sensor also exhibited high selectivity and sensitivity toward Zn²⁺ over other common metal ions in the physiological pH r...

Imidazolium-functionalized squaraine ImSQ8 is synthesized as a sensitive colorimetric and fluorescent chemosensor for GTP in aqueous solution. The detection limit of GTP reaches 5.4 ppb. Its applications in the live-cell imaging and enzyme activity assay have also been demonstrated.

A near-infrared chemosensor for palladium based on the Tsuji-Trost reaction was developed. It displayed specific and ratiometric fluorescent responses toward palladium with a distinct color change from green to blue in aqueous media. PEG400 was employed as the reducing agent and palladium ligand instead of water-insoluble triphenylphosphine. The chemosensor's bioimaging potential was demonstrat...

A simple method for tuning the performance characteristics of fluorescent ratiometric sensors based on surface-immobilized monolayers of π-conjugated molecules enabled gradual adjustment of the sensitivity and the analyte detection range of the sensor. This approach has been applied to fine-tune the sensing performance of a prototype ratiometric chemosensor for fluoride ions.