Facile, selective and cost-effective detection of creatinine from human urine using a cyclometalated dinuclear iridium(iii) complex through creatinine-triggered emission†

A new cyclometalated oxalyl-bridged dinuclear iridium(III)-based phosphorescent complex (M3) was synthesized, which detected creatinine in the solid phase by increasing the emission intensity with a blue shift. The probe M3 was synthesized in a straightforward synthetic route by forming a dichloro-bridged iridium(III) intermediate. The creatinine detection process was developed on a low-cost filter paper strip impregnated with M3, and it was successfully tested on human urine samples. It was observed that the probe was highly selective towards creatinine, and no response was observed with most of the other components present in human urine. Furthermore, the mechanism of creatinine detection was rationally explored.