Novel Chemosensor for the Visual Detection of Copper(II) in Aqueous Solution at the ppm Level

A new water-soluble, multisite-coordinating ligand LH₇ was prepared by the condensation of tris­(hydroxymethyl)­aminomethane with 2,6-diformyl-<i>p</i>-cresol. LH₇ is a selective chemosensor for Cu²⁺, under physiological conditions, with visual detection limits of 20 ppm (ambient light conditions) and 4 ppm (UV light conditions). LH₇ can also be used in biological cell lines for the detection of Cu²⁺