A New Fluorescent Sensor for the Determination of Iron(III) in Semi-Aqueous Solution

• DOI: 10.1007/s10895-011-1015-z
• Publication Date: 2011-11-04T03:11:49Z
• Authors: María José Casanu...; Colin Fowley; Barry W. Hyland; Dolores Galindo-R...; Suban K. Sahoo; John F. Callan
• Keywords: Molecular Structure; Water; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Naphthalenes; Iron(III); Ferric Compounds; 01 natural sciences; Fluorescence; 0104 chemical sciences; Solutions; Schiff base; Schiff Bases; Sensor; Fluorescent Dyes

A simple fluorescent sensor 1 has been developed for the recognition of Fe(III) in semi-aqueous solution at pH 7.0. The sensor, containing two Schiff base type receptors directly connected to naphthalene fluorophores, shows a concentration dependent decrease in emission intensity upon Fe(III) addition. The sensor was selective for Fe(III) over other metal ions and can measure Fe(III) ion concentration between 0.05 and 0.12 mM. The binding stoichiometry was established as 1:1 (host: guest) with a binding constant (Logβ) of 4.01. Furthermore, the addition of Fe(III) to a solution of 1 caused a colour change from light yellow to colourless meaning 1 is also capable of detecting Fe(III) by the naked eye.