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

A novel water-soluble and reversible fluorescent probe was designed and synthesized based on a rhodamine B derivative. It was used for detection of Cu2+ 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 mu mol L-1 and 0.085 mu mol L-1, respectively. In addition, the mode of binding and mechanism of interaction between the probe and Cu2+ were analyzed by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.