A new pyrene-based Schiff-base: A selective colorimetric and fluorescent chemosensor for detection of Cu(II) and Fe(III)

• New Schiff base sensor is selectively detects Cu2+ ions by naked eye color change.
• Fe3+ ions are also selectively detected by monitoring fluorescence emission.
• The sensing mechanisms observed are binding and hydrolysis, respectively.
• The binding and hydrolysis products were confirmed by 1H NMR, MS.
• The new sensor has potential future use in biological cell imaging studies.

A new receptor 1 was prepared, for the detection of Cu2+ and Fe3+ in solutions as a colorimetric and fluorescent sensor, respectively. Receptor 1 shows highly selective and sensitive recognition toward Cu2+ and Fe3+ by naked eye UV–Vis and fluorescent color changes in aqueous solution (DMSO/H2O = 8/2, v/v), respectively. The sensitivity toward Cu2+ or Fe3+ was not interfered with by the presence of other metal ions such as Mg2+, Cd2+, Ag+, Zn2+, Ni2+, Co2+, Mn2+, Cr3+, Ca2+, Na+, Pb2+, K+, Fe2+, Li+ and Hg2+ ions. Receptor 1 can be used for semi-quantitative recognition of Cu2+ ions at ppm level. The fluorescence microscopy experiments showed that the receptor is efficient for detection of Fe3+ in vitro, developing a good image of the biological organelles.

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