Rhodamine-2-thioxoquinazolin-4-one conjugate: A highly sensitive and selective chemosensor for Fe 3+ ions and crystal structures of its Ag(I) and Hg(II) complexes

A rhodamine-2-thioxoquinazolin-4-one derivative ( R1 ) has been synthesized by an addition-elimination reaction of rhodamine 6G ethylenediamine with methyl 2-isothiocyanatobenzoate, which exhibits high selectivity and sensitivity as a fluorescent sensor toward Fe 3+ under physiological conditions. Moreover, R1 could sense Fe 3+ by “naked eye” with a color change from colorless to yellow. To test the practical use of the probe, the determination of Fe 3+ in real water samples was evaluated. The application of the fluorescent sensor in monitoring intracellular Fe 3+ in glioma cell line U251 has also been demonstrated. In addition, single crystal structures of R1 ·1·5H 2 O·0·5CH 3 CN, as well as the possible intermediate of R1 with Ag + and Hg 2+ ions were reported.