Recent developments on BODIPY based chemosensors for the detection of group IIB metal ions

Metals are essential to all life forms since they play critical roles in fundamental processes. However, exposure to heavy metal ions have posed substantial threats to the environment and human health. Chemosensors prove to be useful for the selective and sensitive detection of such metal ions. The Fluorescence spectroscopic method in particular, present various advantages in direct detection of metal ions due to its simplicity, selectivity, and sensitivity. The BODIPY based fluorescent probe with versatile photophysical properties can be potentially applied in detecting biologically relevant metal ions, due to their structure, intriguing optical properties, and complexation of metal ions with various binding sites. Hence, among various fluorescent chemosensors, designing and synthesis of BODIPY based receptors is an emerging and promising field in supramolecular chemistry. This review aims to analyse the literatures regarding the detection of IIB metal ions using various derivatives of BODIPY. The general synthetic procedures, design principles, various binding mechanisms, photophysical properties, and biological applications are briefly mentioned, which can be beneficial references for a wide research community interested in this area. Moreover, each paper approaches the detection of metal ions in a novel way by taking into account various photophysical processes such as intramolecular charge transfer (ICT), photoinduced electron transfer (PET), Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET), resonance energy transfer (RET), etc. Besides, this overall review indicates the potential application of majority of the BODIPY dyes as cellular imaging agent in living cells.