Spectrofluorimetric study of the interaction of copper(II) and bis-heterocyclictriazene reagent in the presence of β-cyclodextrin

A new reagent, 1,3-bis(2-benzothiazolyl-diazoamino)benzene (BBTAB), was first synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, 1H NMR and IR spectra. The inclusion complex of BBTAB with β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) was formed. BBTAB in the inclusion complex or alone reacts with copper(II) to form chelate complex in a slight basic medium, which results in drastic or slight fluorescence enhancement, respectively. The spectrofluorimetric method of trace amount of copper(II) based on the enhancement of inclusion complex by binding with copper(II) was established. The excitation and emission wavelengths of the BBTAB/β-CD/Cu system are 389 and 480 nm, respectively. Under optimal conditions, a linear response of BBTAB/β-CD to copper(II) is obtained in the range of 3.0 × 10−7 to 1.0 × 10−5 mol L−1, and the detection limit is determined to be 1.2 × 10−8 mol L−1. The method is selective, sensitive and simple, and has been used for the determination of trace copper(II) in water samples with satisfactory results. The possible response mechanism of BBTAB/β-CD or BBTAB to copper(II) and the role of β-CD in the drastic enhancement of fluorescence of BBTAB/β-CD/Cu system have been discussed.