A new multifunctional 1, 10-phenanthroline based fluorophore for anion and cation sensing

We report a new multi-ion responsive fluorophore 1 possessing an amide functionality featuring with 1, 10-phenanthroline unit with appropriately placed coordination sites for sensing Cu2+ and Zn2+ ions in 1:2 stoichiometry. Also, various functionalities of 1 organize to create an appropriate cavity to accommodate weakly basic and larger iodide ion generating 1:1 complex. The fluorescence intensity was greatly quenched on coordination of Cu2+, Zn2+ and I− ions with appropriately placed multiple donor sites of 1 which was further supported by Density Functional Theory (DFT) computational studies.