Furanyl bis(indolyl)methane as a palladium ion-selective chromogenic agent

Abstract

The colorless solution of furan-2-yl bis(indolyl)methane (BIM) is newly revealed to work as a palladium (Pd²⁺) ion-selective chromogenic agent by turning orange. 5-(N-Methyl-N-phenyl-aminomethyl)-furan-2-yl BIM could be synthesized from 5-chloromethylfurfural as a biorenewable feedstock via one-pot and double functionalization, and a mixture of its solution and Pd²⁺ ions showed the highest absorbance at 465 nm in UV-Vis analysis. On the other hand, other metal ions (Cu²⁺, Cr²⁺, Cr³⁺, Fe²⁺, Fe³⁺, Ni²⁺, Zn²⁺, In²⁺, Pt²⁺, or Ce³⁺) exhibited no response.