Cu(II) complex of a flexible tripodal receptor as a highly selective fluorescent probe for iodide

A Cu(II) complex of a tripodal receptor bearing an anthracene moiety on one pod as a fluorophore was synthesized. The anion recognition behavior of the Cu(II) complex was evaluated in CH3CN/H2O (95:5, v/v), resulting in an extremely high selectivity for iodide over other anions such as F−, Cl−, Br−, NO3-, CH3COO−, and H2PO2-. The Cu(II) complex acts as a selective probe for estimating iodide even in the presence of other anions without any interference.