A Selective Fluorescence Sensor for Fe (III) Based on Phenanthroimidazole Imine Compound

Experimental studies in the aqueous solution are crucial for the detection of metal cations in environmental and biological media. Polymer materials allow to work in aqueous media for fluorescent substances which are insoluble in water. Fluorescence sensor studies of the phenanthroimidazole imine compound (PI) synthesized previously by our group were performed in the polymer medium and the selective response to Fe (III) cation was obtained. The resulting sensor exhibited a selective fluorescence quenching effect to Fe (III). A logarithmic calibration graph was obtained in the range of 5.0 × 10^{- 5} and 1.0 × 10^{- 2} M. The interference effects of other ions besides Fe (III) have been examined and it has been observed that PI compound behaves selectively to Fe (III) ion in aqueous media. In addition, regeneration and reproducibility studies were carried out to determine the long-term usage of PI doped polymer film and reproducible results have been obtained for Fe (III) cation.