Copillar[5]arene-rhodamine Conjugate As a Selective Sensor for Hg2+ Ions

A new copillar[5]arene-coupled rhodamine probe 1 shows selective sensing of Hg2+ ions over a series of metal ions in CH3CN by exhibiting color change of the solution as well as turn on fluorescence. It also shows interaction with Cu2+ by exhibiting different color and spectral change. Tetrabutylammonium iodide distinguishes between Hg2+ and Cu2+ ions.