A thioether containing reversible fluorescence “turn-on” chemosensor for selective detection of zinc(II): Applications in live cell imaging and inhibit logic gate

•We have designed and synthesized an effective fluorogenic chemosensor for selective detection Zn2+.•Octahedral geometry of L-Zn2+ is confirmed by single crystal X-ray crystallography.•The limit of detection (LOD) is found to be as low as nM for the detection Zn2+.•An INHIBIT logic gate is constructed with Zn2+ and EDTA as chemical inputs.•The fluorescent probe is very useful for the visualization of Zn2+ within human breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7).