Spectrophotometric, Spectrofluorometric and Colorimetric Sensing of Ce4+ Ions Using Organic Molecules – A Review

Cerium accumulation in the environment increases the health risk of humans due to the unavoidable usage of cerium in our day-to-day life. Therefore, developing a chemosensory scaffold for the rapid detection of cerium is necessary. With the objective of assessing and understanding the various factors involved in the sensing of Ce4+, this review consolidates all the 34 chemosensory molecules, mechanisms, techniques, matrices and discusses all the relevant parameters comprehensively. 23 out of 34 probes are directly utilizing the oxidative capability of Ce4+ for the detection and undergo color changes. Probes that are demonstrated with metal enhanced fluorescence exhibit lower detection limits. Based on the survey, we suggest that the investigation of the rigidity of “probe- Ce4+” and its impact on the emission/quenching should be considered for designing an efficient Ce4+ sensor. This is the first review report on the Ce4+ sensors and it could serve as a one-point reference source.