Exclusive Detection of Sub-Nanomolar Levels of Palladium(II) in Water: An Excellent Probe for Multiple Applications

A new colorimetric probe has been developed for the detection and estimation of Pd-II at sub-nanomolar concentrations. The probe consisted of rhodamine (signaling unit), which was linked with a bis-picolyl moiety (binding site) through a phenyl ring. Pd-II induced opening of the spirolactam ring of the probe with the generation of a prominent pink color. The excellent selectivity of the probe towards Pd-II over Pd-0 or Rh-II ensured its potential utility for the detection of residual palladium contamination in pharma-ceutical drugs and in Pd-catalyzed reactions. The probe showed a turn-on (bright yellow) fluorescence upon the addition of Pd-II, which made it suitable for the detection of Pd contaminants in mammalian cells.