A long lifetime luminescent iridium(III) complex chemosensor for the selective switch-on detection of Al(3+) ions.

A novel luminescent cyclometalated iridium(III) complex was synthesized and employed as a chemosensor for the detection of Al(3+) ions. Compared with common organic chemosensors, displays a larger Stokes shift and a long lifetime luminescence that allow to detect Al(3+) ions in fluorescent dye spiked strong fluorescence media and potentially be used in strongly autofluorescent biological samples.