Rapid Detection of Cd[sup.2+] Ions in the Aqueous Medium Using a Highly Sensitive and Selective Turn-On Fluorescent Chemosensor

Herein, a novel optical chemosensor, (CM1 = 2, 6-di((E)-benzylidene)-4-methylcyclohexan-1-one), was designed/synthesized and characterized by [sup.1] H-NMR and FT-IR spectroscopy. The experimental observations indicated that CM1 is an efficient and selective chemosensor towards Cd[sup.2+] , even in the presence of other metal ions, such as Mn[sup.2+] , Cu[sup.2+] , Co[sup.2+,] Ce[sup.3+] , K[sup.+] , Hg[sup.2+] ,[sup.,] and Zn[sup.2+] in the aqueous medium. The newly synthesized chemosensor, CM1, showed a significant change in the fluorescence emission spectrum upon coordination with Cd[sup.2+] . The formation of the Cd[sup.2+] complex with CM1 was confirmed from the fluorometric response. The 1:2 combination of Cd[sup.2+] with CM1 was found optimum for the desired optical properties, which was confirmed through fluorescent titration, Job’s plot, and DFT calculation. Moreover, CM1 showed high sensitivity towards Cd[sup.2+] with a very low detection limit (19.25 nM). Additionally, the CM1 was recovered and recycled by the addition of EDTA solution that combines with Cd[sup.2+] ion and, hence, frees up the chemosensor.