Organic heterocyclic-based colorimetric and fluorimetric chemosensors for the detection of different analytes: a review (from 2015 to 2022)

Heterocyclic organic compounds, also called heterocycles, are any major class of organic compounds having at least one atom other than carbon in the ring. Due to their excellent electronic and structural features, these compounds exhibit a wide range of biological and nonbiological applications. Among these, indole, benzimidazole, benzothiazole, and benzoxazole are versatile organic heterocyclic compounds widely used in different fields. They show a wide range of applications in polymer, coordination chemistry, pharmacy, dyes, food packages, medicine, and industries. These compounds contain heteroatoms like S-, N-, and O-, through which they interact with metal ions, anions, and neutral species, giving measurable analytical signals that can be used as fluorimetric and colorimetric chemosensors for detecting different analytes in biological, agricultural and environmental samples. This review summarizes indole, benzimidazole, benzothiazole, and benzoxazole-based fluorimetric and colorimetric chemosensors for detecting metal ions, anions, and neutral species. Furthermore, the recognition mechanisms have been discussed in detail, which could help researchers to design efficient, highly selective, and sensitive chemosensors to recognize and determine heavy metal cations.