Bis-anthracene derived bis-pyridine: selective fluorescence sensing of Al3+ ions

Abstract

A novel bis-anthracene molecule linked to bis-pyridine by xylylene dibromide (APC) was synthesized as a potent sensor for the detection of Al³⁺ ions. Receptor APC exhibits high affinity towards Al³⁺ ions through fluorescence ‘off–on’ behaviour in HEPES-buffered THF–H₂O (1 : 1, (v/v) HEPES = 50 mM, pH = 7.4) solution with a detection limit of 0.89 × 10⁻⁶ M. The affinity between receptor APC and Al³⁺ ions can be attributed to the photoinduced electron transfer (PET) mechanism. Furthermore, the receptor APC can be employed for the detection of Al³⁺ ions in various effluent water samples and in microbial bioimaging.