meso-Triphenylamine-BODIPY derivative for optical chemosensing of metal ions

The design and synthesis of organic molecules for recognition of biologically/environmentally important metal ions have been emerging as a highly regarded research field. BODIPY core is a versatile signaling molecule that can be fine-tuned with functional groups to create binding sites and improve its optical properties. As an extension of the work developed in our research group, we report the synthesis and characterization of a BODIPY functionalized with triphenylamino and a formyl group at meso and 2-position, respectively, for a highly sensitive detection of Cu²⁺ and Fe³⁺. The preliminary study of the BODIPY derivative as optical chemosensor was carried out in acetonitrile solution in the presence of different cations and interaction with Cu²⁺ and Fe³⁺ induced a perceptible color change. The spectrophotometric titrations showed changes in the absorption spectra upon addition of 3 equivalents of each cation with the appearance of a new absorption band at 693 nm.