Piperazine-based new sensor: selective ratiometric sensing of Fe3+, logic gate construction and cell imaging

Newly designed and synthesised chemosensor 1 selectively recognises Fe3+ ions in CHCl3-MeOH (1:1, v/v) by showing ratiometric change in emission and green colouration of the solution under the exposure of UV light. The ensemble 1 center dot Fe3+ selectively detects F- ions over other halides and the phenomenon is useful to construct combinatorial logic gate. Furthermore, the probe 1 can be used for in vitro detection of Fe3+ in human cervical cancer (HeLa) cells.