Tripodal ligand incorporating dual fluorescent ionophore: a coordinative control of photoinduced electron transfer

p-(N,N-Dimethylamino)benzenesulfonamide (DMABSA), a dual fluorescent fluorophore, has been derivatized into two new fluoroionophores for transition metal cations. The electron-acceptor sulfonamide group has been N-substituted by a 2-pyridylmethylene group to lead to a bidentate ligand which forms a 2:1 complex with Cu(II). The crystal structure of the copper(II) complex is reported. The Cu(II) is coordinated through the pyridine N- and sulfonamide N-deprotonated atom which account for the blue-shift of the absorption and the partly quenched fluorescence. When DMABSA was incorporated into the tris(2-aminoethyl)amine (tren), a tripodal, dual-fluorescent ligand, is obtained which shows higher binding affinity for Zn(II) than for Cu(II). Furthermore, the large increase of the short wavelength emission and the disappearance of the TICT emission, upon Zn complexation, allow measurements of the Zn(II) concentration from relative fluorescence intensity at two wavelengths.

Flipping the light switch 'on'--the design of sensor molecules that show cation-induced fluorescence enhancement with heavy and transition metal ions

Real-time and real-space analysis of heavy and transition metal ions employing fluorescent sensor molecules has received much attention over the past few years. Since many of these cations possess intrinsic properties that usually quench the fluorescence of organic dye molecules, a lot of research has lately been devoted to designing fluorescent probes that show complexation-induced fluorescence enhancement. Such an analytical reaction would be highly desirable in terms of increased sensitivity and selectivity. However, in this particular field of sensor research, the photophysical and photochemical mechanisms involved as well as the chemical constitutions of the sensor molecules employed are rather diverse and up to now, very few attempts have been made to establish some general concepts for rational probe design. By analyzing various systems published by other researchers as well as own work, this contribution aims at an elucidation of some of the underlying principles of heavy and transition metal ion-enhanced emission.