Introduction A novel anthraquinone-hydrazone fluorescent probe (AFSA) was designed and synthesized for the selective and sensitive detection of Cu 2+ ions, which is of great significance for environmental heavy metal monitoring. Methods The sensing performance of AFSA was systematically investigated in an EtOH/H 2 O (5:1, V/V) binary solution system. Its molecular structure was characterized using multiple spectroscopic techniques, and theoretical spectral properties were further calculated via the GaussView 9.0 quantum chemical program. The binding stoichiometry between AFSA and Cu 2+ was determined using Job’s continuous variation method. Results AFSA exhibited a distinct turn-on fluorescence response toward Cu 2+ , with a detection limit of 0.86 μM at 766 nm and a response time of less than 1 min. The fluorescence emission remained stable over a wide pH range of 5.0–11.0. Selectivity assays demonstrated negligible interference from common coexisting metal ions, including Al 3+ , Ba 2+ , Ca 2+ , Co 2+ , Hg 2+ , Fe 3+ , K + , Mn 2+ , Na + , Ni 2+ , Pb 2+ , and Zn 2+ . Discussion The above results indicate that AFSA is a promising fluorescent probe for Cu 2+ detection with excellent selectivity, high sensitivity and favorable practical applicability. This work provides a feasible molecular design strategy and a reliable anthraquinone-hydrazone scaffold for the development of high-performance chemosensors toward environmental heavy metal ion monitoring.
Jia et al. (Tue,) studied this question.