A new rhodamine B-based dual-function chromo- and fluorogenic probe for Cu2+ and ClO− has been designed, synthesized, and characterized. The probe comprises a spectroscopic unit of rhodamine B and a Cu2+-specific chelating unit of pyridinecarboxamide as well as a ClO−-specific reactive moiety of diacylhydrazine, and is a highly selective and extremely sensitive fluorescent and colorimetric sensor for Cu2+ and ClO− in different pH conditions. Compared with the reported probes for Cu2+ or ClO−, this is the first chemosensor based on a small molecule that can detect both Cu2+ and ClO−, respectively, at 1 nM level.
