Fluorescent Zn2+ chemosensors, functional in aqueous solution under environmentally relevant conditions

The synthesis and evaluation of two new ratiometric chemosensors for the quantification of potentially toxic free Zn2+ ions in aqueous solutions are described. Both sensors show high selectivity for Zn2+ over other cations, and are functional at environmentally relevant pH with detection limits of 0.05 μM for free Zn2+.