A benzimidazole-based compound 1 built on the piperazine motif has been designed and synthesized. The chemosensor 1 is highly selective and sensitive towards ATP over ADP and AMP in CH3CN/H2O (1 : 1, v/v, using 10 mM HEPES buffer, pH 6.4) as evidenced by the significant change in emission. Furthermore, sensor 1 is cell permeable and can detect the presence of ATP in Human cervical cancer cells (HeLa).
