Chelation therapy-inspired design of a water-stable fluorescent probe for the effectual monitoring of copper(II) ions in real water.

This work introduces a thought-provoking design to develop a water-soluble chemical probe, sodium 4-hydroxy-3-(()-(()-((2-hydroxynaphthalen-1yl)methylene)hydrazono)methyl) benzenesulfonate (SW2) and its analytical characterization for the efficient detection and monitoring of Cu ions in a matrix of s-, d-, and f-metal ions in pure water. The water-stable molecular probe, SW2, in the presence of Cu salts in pure water exhibits a fluorescence turn-off characteristic with a high detection limit, 3.8 μM, and irresistibly holds 4-cycle reversibility in the presence of sulphide ions without any significant loss of its chemosensing efficiency.