A fluorescent sensor for pyrophosphate based on a Pd(ii) complexCCDC reference number 776083. For crystallographic data in CIF or other electronic format see DOI: 10.1039/c0dt00434k

A mixture of the Pd( ii ) complex [Pd(NO 3 ) 2 (bipy)] (bipy = 2,2′-bipyridine) and the fluorescent dye Methylcalcein blue (MCB) constitutes a chemosensing ensemble which can be used for the detection of pyrophosphate (PPi) by fluorescence spectroscopy. The sensor operates in buffered aqueous solution at neutral pH, and allows sensing PPi at low to mid micromolar concentrations with very good selectivity over other anions such as phosphate, acetate, nitrate, sulfate, chloride, and bicarbonate. A chemosensing ensemble comprised of a simple Pd( ii ) complex and a fluorescent dye can be used to selectively detect pyrophosphate in buffered aqueous solution.