A new multifunctional rhodamine-derived probe for colorimetric sensing of Cu(II) and Al(III) and fluorometric sensing of Fe(III) in aqueous media

A new rhodamine-derived Schiff base RH was synthesized and its sensing behavior toward various metal ions was investigated by UV-vis and fluorescence spectroscopic techniques. The sensor exhibited highly selective and sensitive colorimetric response to Cu2+ and Al3+, and off-on fluorescence response toward Fe3+ in semi-aqueous media. The spectral changes obtained are large enough in the visible region of the spectrum and thus enable naked-eye detection. Experimentally proved that the formation of RH-Al3+ complex is fully reversible and can sense to Ac0-/F- via break the complex. The results revealed that the sensor offers the sequential detection of Al3+ and AcO-/F-. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.