New Pyridine-Bridged Ferrocene-Rhodamine Receptor For The Multifeature Detection Of Hg2+ In Water And Living Cells

A challenge in the design of optical and redox-active receptors is how to combine a specific recognition center with an efficient responsive system to facilely achieve multifeature detection in biological and environmental analyses. Herein, a novel ferrocene-rhodamine receptor conjugated with a pyridine bridge was designed and synthesized. This receptor can sensitively sense He2+ in aqueous media via chromogenic, fluorogenic, and electrochemical multisignal outputs with a low detection limit and fast response time. Moreover, it can be qualified as a fluorescent probe for effectively monitoring He' in living cells. A plausible recognition mode was proposed and rationalized with theoretical calculations.