A simple method for improving the optical properties of a dimetallic coordination fluorescent chemosensor for adenosine triphosphate

The selectivity and sensitivity of [Zn2(9,10-bis[(2,2-dipicolylamino)methyl]anthracene)]4+ (1) were enhanced by eliminating its intrinsic fluorescence with the introduction of pyrocatechol violet. An ensemble ([Zn2(9,10-bis[(2,2-dipicolylamino)methyl]anthracene)(pyrocatechol violet)]2+) can easily detect less than 1 μM of ATP and can discriminate between ATP and various other anions including adenosine diphosphate (ADP).