A new fluorescent chemosensor detecting Zn2+ and Cu2+ in methanol/HEPES buffer solution

A new fluorescent chemosensor (1a), derived from anthracene, was designed and synthesized. It has been found that 1a could be used to detect Zn2+ ratiometricly in a HEPES buffered methanol/water (9/1, v/v) solution with a large hypsochromic shift from 515 to 433 nm, while it could also be applied to sense Cu2+ with the phenomenon of fluorescence quenching of 1a completely. Moreover, adding other univalent or divalent metal ions such as Na+, K+, Li+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Ba2+, Co2+, Mn2+, Pb2+, Cr3+ or Hg2+ ions into the solution of 1a did not cause any distinct change to the emission spectra of 1a.