Selective Fe 2+ Ion Recognition Using a Fluorescent Pyridinyl-benzoimidazole-derived Ionophore

Fluorescent organic molecules that respond to changes in the concentration with selectivity to other abundant di-valent metal ions will offer the ability to understand the dynamic fluctuations of the ion in interesting media. The use of 6-Br-ppmbi, derived from 2-pyridin-2-yl-benzimidazole, for metal ion-selective fluorescence recognition was investigated. Screening of the main group and transition metal ions showed exclusive selectivity for ions even in the presence of competing metal ions. In addition, the requirement for low concentrations of probe molecules to detect certain amounts of ions make this sensor unique compared to previously reported ion sensors.