Recent developments in transition metal ion detection by luminescent chemosensors

Chemosensors find wide applications in many disciplines such as biochemistr y, clinical and medical sciences, cell. biology, analytical chemistry and e nvironmental sciences. Aiming to develop new chemosensors for future applic ations. we have synthesised and studied many different species. We present here the latest luminescent chemosensors for transition metal ions studied in our laboratory. In the various systems active units and receptors are di fferent as are the target ions: Zn2+, Ni2+, Cd2+, Hg2+, Co2+, Ag+ and Cu2+. In solution a good selectivity and affinity was observed and the binding i s signalled in all cases by pronounced changes in the photophysical propert ies such as emission wavelength and intensity, and excited state lifetime o f the inserted luminophore. The mechanism for signal transduction depends s trongly on the chosen receptor and luminophore moieties, and has been inves tigated in detail by means of steady state and time resolved spectroscopy. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.