An aqueous friendly chemosensor derived from vitamin B₆ cofactor for colorimetric sensing of Cu²⁺ and fluorescent turn-off sensing of Fe³⁺

Abstract

Chemosensor L derived from vitamin B6 cofactor pyridoxal-5-phosphate was investigated for the selective detection of Cu(2+) and Fe(3+) in aqueous medium. Sensor L formed a 1:1 complex with Cu(2+) and displays a perceptible color change from colorless to yellow brown with the appearance of a new charge transfer band at ~450 nm. In contrast, the fluorescence of L was quenched selectively in the presence of Fe(3+) without any interference from other metal ions including Cu(2+).

Keywords: Colorimetric sensor; Cu(2+); Fe(3+); Fluorescent sensor; Vitamin B(6) cofactor.