Pyridine derivatives as fluorescent sensors for cations

Environmental pollution is one of the main concerns of contemporary research.

The content of all metal ions when it exceeds the acceptable threshold becomes toxic.

Particular attention is paid to the recognition of toxic metal ions, as these cause serious damage to human health and the environment.

Over the past decades, several small molecule-based fluorescence chemosensors have been developed.

There is a wide range of strongly electronegative fluorescent hetero-aromatics (nitrogen, oxygen, etc.). Additionally, pyridine ring molecules are used as nonlinear optical materials, electrical materials, and chelating agents in metal-ligand chemistry.

In the present work, we report the synthesis of chemosensors containing the pyrinidic moiety as a fluorophore unit, therefore, we studied their influence on the detection of toxic cations, including chromium, iron, cobalt, nickel, and copper in acetonitrile/water (1:1) mixtures given the importance of developing water-soluble probes for metal detection in biological and environmental systems.