Ratiometric chemosensor for fluorescent determination of Zn2+ in aqueous ethanol

A new ratiometric and selective fluorescent chemosensor (1) for quantification of zinc ions in aqueous ethanol has been synthesized and investigated in this work. In an environmentally friendly media of 30% (v/v) water/ethanol and 10 mM Tris-HCl neutral buffer (pH 7.03), 1 displayed selective Zn(2+) ratiometric fluorescence response, with a dynamic working range of 1.0-8.0 microM and a detection limit of 0.5 microM Zn(2+). The determination of Zn(2+) in synthesized water sample was also successful.