A BODIPY derivative as a colorimetric, near-infrared and turn-on chemosensor for Cu2+

A new colorimetric and near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent chemosensor (1) for Cu2+ based on BODIPY has been synthesized and investigated in this work. 1 Displays a high selectivity for Cu2+ with about 250-fold enhancement in fluorescence emission intensity and micromolar sensitivity (Kd = 2.8 ± 0.3 μM) in comparison with alkali and alkaline earth metal ions (Na+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+) and other metal ions (Ba2+, Zn2+, Cd2+, Fe2+, Pb2+, Ni2+, Co2+, Ag+) upon excitation at 635 nm in CH3CN. Meanwhile, the distinct color changes and rapid switch-on fluorescence also provide 1 as colorimetric senor for Cu2+.

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► A new NIR colorimetric fluorescent chemosensor 1 has been synthesized.
► 1 Displays a high selectivity for Cu2+ with ∼250-fold fluorescence enhancement.
► The distinct color changes also provide 1 as colorimetric senor for Cu2+.