A colorimetric sensor for the sequential detection of Cu²⁺and CN⁻in fully aqueous media: practical performance of Cu²⁺

Abstract

A new highly selective colorimetric chemosensor 1 (E)-9-(((5-mercapto-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl)imino)methyl)-2,3,6,7-tetrahydro-1H,5H-pyrido[3,2,1-ij]quinolin-8-ol was designed and synthesized for the sequential detection of Cu(2+) and CN(-). This sensor 1 exhibited an obvious color change from yellow to orange in the presence of Cu(2+) in a fully aqueous solution. The detection limit (0.9 μM) of 1 for Cu(2+) is far lower than the WHO limit (31.5 μM) for drinking water. In addition, the resulting Cu(2+)-2· 1 complex can be further used to detect toxic cyanide through a color change from orange to yellow, indicating the recovery of 1 from Cu(2+)-2·1. Importantly, chemosensor 1 could be used to detect and quantify Cu(2+) in water samples, and a colorimetric test strip of 1 for the detection of Cu(2+) could be useful for all practical purposes.