A novel colorimetric and fluorogenic chemosensor for selective detection of Cu2+ ions in mixed aqueous media

A novel and easy-to-synthesize chemosensor (L) was developed for the selective sensing of Cu2+ ions in mixed aqueous medium. Sensor L showed both colorimetric and spectral (UV-Vis and fluorescence) responses towards Cu2+, which was not affected in the presence of other surveyed metal ions (Na+, Mg2+, Al3+, K+, Ca2+, Fe2+, Co2+, Ni2+, Zn2+, Ba2+, Hg2+ and Pd2+). The 1 : 1 binding stoichiometry between Cu2+ and L was obtained using the Job's plot and ESI-MS analysis. The binding constant (K-a) of 1.56 x 10(4) M-1 for L-Cu2+ complex was calculated from the Benesei-Hildebrand plot. Further, theoretical calculations were performed using the density functional theory (DFT) method to complement the experimental results.