A new perylene diimide-based fluorescent chemosensor for selective detection of ATP in aqueous solution

A new perylene diimide (PDI) ligand (1) functionalized with a Zn2+–dipicolylethylenediamine (Zn2+–DPEN) moiety was synthesized and first used as a fluorometric chemosensor to specifically detect the presence of ATP over other phosphate anions in aqueous solution. The solution of 1 upon addition of ATP displayed a remarkable absorption decrease compared with other anions, indicating the selectivity of 1 to ATP. Moreover, among these anions investigated, only ATP showed a considerable enhancement of fluorescent intensity of 1. The fluorescence molar ratio plot combined with the ESI-TOF mass measurement determined that binding stoichiometry between 1 and ATP is 1:1.