A fluorescent chemosensor for cobalt ions based on a multi-substituted phenol-ruthenium(II) tris(bipyridine) complex.

An amide-linked 2,6-bis{[(2-hydroxy-5-tert-butylbenzyl)(pyridyl-2-methyl)-amino]-methyl}-4-methylphenol-ruthenium(II) tris(bipyridine) 2PF6- complex, 1, was first used to recognize Co(II) in EtOH/H(2)O (1:1, v/v) solution, with the ruthenium(II) tris(bipyridine) moiety selected as a fluorophore and the multi-substituted phenol unit chosen as a receptor. The fluorescence quenching of 1 was attributed to the formation of an inclusion complex between multi-substituted phenol unit and Co(II) by 1:1 complex ratio (K=2.5 x 10(5)), which has been utilized as the basis of the fabrication of the Co(II)-sensitive fluorescent chemosensor. The analytical performance characteristics of the proposed Co(II)-sensitive chemosensor were investigated. The sensor can be applied to the quantification of Co(II) with a linear range covering from 1.0 x 10(-7) to 5.0 x 10(-5) M and a detection limit of 5 x 10(-8) M. The experiment results show that the response behavior of 1 to Co(II) is pH-independent in medium condition (pH 4.5-9.5) and show excellent selectivity for Co(II) over transition metal cations except Cu(II). The chemosensor has been used for determination of Co(II) in water samples.