An easy and accessible water-soluble sensor for the distinctive fluorescence detection of Zn2+ and Al3+ ions†
Abstract
A water-soluble fluorescence sensor (SA) was facilely synthesized via a one-step condensation reaction between commercially available salicylaldehyde and 2-(2-aminoethylamino)ethanol with high yield. The addition of Zn2+ and Al3+ to SA showed drastic enhancements of the emission intensities at 458 nm and 376 nm, respectively, while exhibiting negligible interference in the presence of typical competitive ions such as Fe3+, Cr3+, Hg2+ and Cd2+. This phenomenon indicates that SA may be helpful for rapid, quantitative and qualitative detection of Zn2+ and Al3+.