We present the design, synthesis, characterization and spectral studies for a new Zn (II) and Fe (II) selective fluorescent probe, 4,4-Difluoro-8-{3-[(4- phenoxy-dipyrromethene)propoxy]}-4-bora-3a,4a-diazaindacene (DPYBODPY). DPBODPY consists of a terminal fluorophore and a selective ligand and was designed to detect significant changes in absorbance and/or fluorescence on metal ion binding. The fluorophore is based on the Bodipy unit due to its excellent photophysical properties, while the dipyrrin unit has specific recognition abilities for Fe 2+ and Zn 2+ ions. The combination of these two structures is optimised to achieve significant spectral changes in the presence of Fe 2+ and Zn 2+ ions. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.