A highly selective and sensitive rhodamine-derived fluorescent probe for detection of Cu2 +

Abstract A novel water-soluble and reversible fluorescent probe was designed and synthesized based on a rhodamine B derivative. It was used for detection of Cu 2 + in drinking water and in living cells with high sensitivity and excellent selectivity. The tested concentration range and the limit of detection (LOD) of the probe were 0–15.00 μmol L − 1 and 0.085 μmol L − 1 , respectively. In addition, the mode of binding and mechanism of interaction between the probe and Cu 2 + were analyzed by density functional theory (DFT) calculations.