A highly selective and sensitive turn-on catalytic chemodosimeter for Cu2+ in aqueous solution

We report herein the first diaminocyclopent-2-enone-based catalytic chemodosimeter (3) for naked-eye and turn-on fluorescent detections of Cu2+ in pure aqueous solution. Compound 3 easily made available from furan-2-carbaldehyde and 2-aminobenzoic acid was found to show a highly selective and sensitive response toward Cu2+ by way of Cu2+-coordination promoted formation of Stenhouse salt and subsequent decomposition to highly fluorescent 2-aminobenzoate.