A fluorescent dinuclear zinc complex (1) has been prepared by an easy "one pot" method in which the lysine-based Schiff base ligand is generated in situ. The compound is characterized in detail by various spectroscopic techniques and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Crystal data: monoclinic, C2, a = 18.31(13) A, b = 8.45(7) A, c = 11.20(8) A, beta = 90.11(6) degrees, V = 1733.6(2) A(3). Z = 2, R1 = 0.0442, wR2 = 0.1068, Flack(x) parameter = 0.03(2). Compound 1 is highly fluorescent, in both the solution phase and as a solid. Under neutral aqueous conditions (0.01 M HEPES buffer, pH 7.4), compound 1 exhibits intense blue fluorescence (lambda(ex) = 352 nm, lambda(em) = 453 nm, Phi(F) = 0.17). The complex was tested with several anions, such as F(-), Br(-), I(-), AcO(-), HCO(3)(-), H(2)PO(4)(-), HPO(4)(2-), PO(4)(3-), and a variety of biologically relevant phosphate anions, such as adenosine monophosphate (AMP), cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), inorganic pyrophosphate (PPi, P(2)O(7)(4-)), adenosine diphosphate (ADP), and adenosine triphosphate (ATP), in water at physiological pH. The dizinc species was found to act as a highly selective sensor for PPi in particular by fluorescence ON-OFF signaling. Both the fluorometric and colorimetric (indicator displacement assays) titration results suggest that compound 1 is a highly selective sensor for phosphate ions with the order PPi > or = ATP > ADP.

Fluorescent dinuclear chiral zinc complexes were synthesized in a "one-pot" method in which the lysine-based Schiff base ligand was generated in situ. This complex acts as a highly sensitive and selective fluorescent ON-OFF probe for Cu(2+) in water at physiological pH. Other metal ions such as Hg(2+), Cd(2+), and Pb(2+) gave little fluorescence change.

A bis-heteroleptic Ru(II) complex (1) is presented that acts as a single molecular dual analyte sensor and quantifies Hg(2+) and Ag(+) by luminescence at two different wavelengths. The sensor has stronger binding to Hg(2+) than to its likely competitor Ag(+) allowing quantification of Hg(2+) in a sample with Ag(+) without a masking agent. 1 also selectively senses Ag(+) in the absence of Hg(2+) by enhancing the PL intensity at a different wavelength.

Two new ruthenium complexes [Ru(bipy)(2)(PDA)](2+) (1) and [Ru(phen)(2)(PDA)](2+) (2) (PDA = 1,10-phenanthroline-4,7-dicarboxaldehyde) have been synthesized to detect cyanide based on the well-known formation of cyanohydrins. Both 1[PF(6)](2) and 2[PF(6)](2) were fully characterized by various spectroscopic techniques and their solid state structures determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Their anion binding properties in pure and aqueous acetonitrile were thoroughly examined using two different channels, i.e., UV-vis absorption and photoluminescence (PL). After addition of only 2 equiv of CN(-), the PL intensity of 1[PF(6)](2) and 2[PF(6)](2) was enhanced ∼55-fold within 15 s along with a diagnostic blue shift of the emission by more than 100 nm. PL titrations of 1[PF(6)](2) and 2[PF(6)](2) with CN(-) in CH(3)CN furnished the very high overall cyanohydrin formation constants log β([CN(-)]) = 15.36 ± 0.44 (β([CN(-)]) = 2.3 × 10(15) M(-2)) and log β([CN(-)]) = 16.37 ± 0.53 (β([CN(-)]) = 2.3 × 10(16) M(-2)), respectively. For both probes, the second constant, K(2), is about 57-84 times less than K(1), suggesting that the cyanohydrin reaction is stepwise. The stepwise mechanism is further supported by results of a (1)H NMR titration of 2[PF(6)](2) with CN(-). The high selectivity of 2[PF(6)](2) for CN(-) was established by PL in the presence of other competing anions. Furthermore, the color change from orange-red to yellow and the appearance of a orange luminescence, which can be observed by the naked eye, provides a simple real-time method for cyanide detection. Finally, theoretical calculations were carried out to elucidate the details of the electronic structure and transitions involved in the ruthenium probes and their cyanide adducts.