An aqueous friendly chemosensor derived from vitamin B6 cofactor for colorimetric sensing of Cu2 + and fluorescent turn-off sensing of Fe3 +

•An aqueous friendly chemosensor derived from vitamin B6 cofactor was introduced.•Sensor showed colorimetric sensing ability towards Cu2 +.•Sensor showed fluorescent turn-off sensing ability towards Fe3 +.•Detection limit was better than the prescribed permissible limit.

Chemosensor L derived from vitamin B6 cofactor pyridoxal-5-phosphate was investigated for the selective detection of Cu2 + and Fe3 + in aqueous medium. Sensor L formed a 1:1 complex with Cu2 + and displays a perceptible color change from colorless to yellow brown with the appearance of a new charge transfer band at ~ 450 nm. In contrast, the fluorescence of L was quenched selectively in the presence of Fe3 + without any interference from other metal ions including Cu2 +.

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