A Simple Schiff Base Probe for Quintuplicate-Metal Analytes with Four Emission-Wavelength Responses

A versatile mono-Schiff compound consisting of o-aminobenzene-hydroxyjulolidine (ABJ-MS) has been easily synthesized using a one-step reaction. ABJ-MS displays four diverse fluorescence responses to the addition of Zn(2+)/Al(3+)/Fe(3+)/Ag(+), with the maximum fluorescence emission at 530 nm undergoing a hypsochromic shift to 502/490/440/430 nm, synchronously with the discriminating fluorescence enhancement being 10.6/22.8/2.6/7.1-fold, respectively. However, the addition of Cu(2+) into ABJ-MS leads to an opposite behavior, namely, fluorescence quenching. Meanwhile, ABJ-MS also displays distinct absorption changes after adding these five metal ions due to different binding affinities between them and ABJ-MS, which gives ABJ-MS quite a versatile detecting nature for Cu(2+)/Zn(2+)/Al(3+)/Fe(3+)/Ag(+). Moreover, ABJ-MS can mimic a series of versatile AND/OR/INH-consisting logic circuits on the basis of the Cu(2+)/Zn(2+)/Al(3+)/Fe(3+)/Ag(+)-mediated diverse optical responses. These will endow the smart ABJ-MS molecule and potential applications in the multi-analysis chemosensory and molecular logic material fields.