A new unsymmetrical ferrocene-based double azine as a multichannel chemosensor for the detection of Cu2+ ions

Abstract

1,4-Bis((ferrocenylidenehydrazono)methyl)benzene (L) as an unsymmetrical double azine was synthesized in good yield with a simple and cost-effective procedure by the reaction of ferrocenecarboxaldehyde hydrazone (1) with terephthalaldehyde. L was characterized by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, FT-IR spectroscopy, and the ESI-MS technique. Distinctive color change from yellow-orange to colorless was observed for the L solution by adding 1 equiv of Cu2+ ions. Based on UV–vis and fluorescence spectra, cyclic voltammetry (CV), and linear sweep voltammetry (LSV), L is an excellent multichannel chemosensor for Cu2+ ions detection with high selectivity over many other metal ions. The calculated limit of detection (LOD) from the fluorescence and LSV titration of L with Cu2+ were 4.2 × 10−6 M and 1.78 × 10−5 M, respectively.

Keywords

• Ferrocene
• Unsymmetrical azine
• Multichannel sensor
• Chemosensor
• Copper ion