A Rhodamine-Benzimidazole Based Chemosensor for Fe3+ and its Application in Living Cells

A rhodamine-benzimidazole based chemosensor was designed and prepared for Fe3+ via opening of the spiro-ring to give fluorescent and colored species. L exhibited high selectivity and excellent sensitivity in both absorbance and fluorescence detection of Fe3+ in aqueous solution with comparatively wide pH range (5.8-7.4). The detection limit of this newly developed probe was shown to be up to 2.74 mu M. The reversibility establishes the potential of both probes as chemosensors for Fe3+ detection. Fluorescence imaging experiments of Fe3+ in living MGC803 cells demonstrated its value of practical applications in biological systems.