A phosphorescent chemosensor for Cu2 + based on cationic iridium(III) complexes

A cationic phosphorescent iridium complex 1 was synthesized, which can selectively detect Cu2 + confirmed by the luminescence spectra titration. In the presence of Cu2 +, the obvious decrease of the luminescence intensity at 600 nm was investigated. The complex has been shown to display high selectivity for Cu2 + over other metal ions. The strong selective coordination interaction with Cu2 + is responsible for the significant change of the luminescence spectra, which is further confirmed by ESI-MS.