Detection of zinc ions under aqueous conditions using chirality assisted solid-state fluorescence of a bipyridyl based fluorophore

Abstract

A pyrrole end-capped bipyridyl ligand 1a incorporating a chiral handle exhibited high solid-state emission when compared to the achiral analogue 1b and to the racemic molecule 1c which allowed the design of a reusable fluorescent probe for the selective detection of Zn²⁺ under aqueous conditions.