Single crystal X-ray structurally characterized bis-imine derivative (P1) selectively recognizes Sm 3 + in DMSO-water (1 : 6, v/v) media. On the other hand, salicylic acid derived tripodal amide (P2) efficiently detects Sm 3 + and Dy 3 + in DMSO-water (1 : 5, v/ v) media. In both cases, Sm 3 + emits intense pink light while Dy 3 + emits yellow light. The P1 experiences 42-fold fluorescence enhancement in presence of Sm 3 + . The P2 experiences 36-fold and 23-fold fluorescence enhancement in presence of Sm 3 + and Dy 3 + respectively. The limit of detections (LODs) for Sm 3 + are 9.2 × 10 À 8 M (by P1) and 1.04 × 10 À 7 M (by P2) while it is 9.67 × 10 À 7 M for Dy 3 + (by P2). The P1 assisted enrichment of Sm 3 + is encouraging.