Quinoline appended pillar[5]arene (QPA) as Fe sensor and complex of Fe (FeQPA) as a selective sensor for F, arginine and lysine in the aqueous medium.

A quinoline functionalized pillar[5]arene, QPA has been prepared and its interaction with biologically relevant ions and molecules in aqueous solution has been demonstrated. The sensor molecule, QPA has shown selectivity towards Fe among eleven metal ions studied. The Fe complex of QPA (FeQPA) selectively interacts with F among halides by ∼4 fold fluorescence enhancement. Further, FeQPA has shown selectivity towards arginine and lysine among twenty naturally occurring amino acids. The binding of QPA with Fe has been confirmed by MALDI-TOF and H NMR titrations.