Novel Quinoline-Based Thiazole Derivatives for Selective Detection of Fe3+, Fe2+, and Cu2+ Ions

New quinoline-based thiazole derivatives QPT and QBT were synthesized and characterized by various spectroscopic and single-crystal X-ray crystallographic studies. The metal-sensing properties of the probes were further examined by absorption and fluorescence spectrometry. The fluorescence intensity of QPT and QBT was remarkably quenched during the addition of Fe3+, Fe2+, and Cu2+ ions in THF/H2O (1:1) at pH = 7.4 in HEPES buffer, while the addition of other metal ions did not affect the fluorescence intensity of the ligands. The detection ability of the probes QPT and QBT was further investigated by titration with various equivalents of metal ions, optimized pH ranges for detection, and reversibility with Na2EDTA for biological applications.