A phosphorescent chemosensor for Cu2+ based on cationic iridium(III) complexes

A cationic phosphorescent iridium complex 1 was synthesized, which can selectively detect Cu2+ confirmed by the luminescence spectra titration. In the presence of Cu2+, the obvious decrease of the luminescence intensity at 600 nm was investigated. The complex has been shown to display high selectivity for Cu2+ over other metal ions. The strong selective coordination interaction with Cu2+ is responsible for the significant change of the luminescence spectra, which is further confirmed by ESI-MS. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.