A salicylal-derived Schiff base as Co (II) selective fluorescent probe

A salicylal-derived Schiff base L was synthesized and exploited as a fluorescence probe for its selective detection of Co2+. L exhibited enhanced fluorescence response at 350 nm for Co2+ in ethanol medium, distinguishing Co2+ from other cations with high selectivity. The formation of a 4:1 complex between L and Co2+ was suggested by Job's Plot. Additionally, the fluorescence intensity was directly proportional to the concentration of Co2+ (R2 = 0.9910) from 8.0 × 10−7 to 2.0 × 10−6 mol L−1 with a detection limit of 7.82 × 10−7 mol L−1 (3σ) under optimized conditions. The small molecular compound could be used as a promising fluorescent probe for monitoring levels of Co2+ in environmental and physiological systems.