Sulfonamide and Morpholine‐Based Dual Chemosensor for Cu 2+ and Ag + in Different Solvent Media

The detection of cations has attracted considerable interest because of their importance in various physiological processes. In this study, compound 1 bearing sulfonamide and morpholine functionalities was synthesized. Its structure was well characterized by NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. UV/vis absorption spectra and fluorescence spectra indicated that it displayed high sensitivity and selectivity for Cu 2+ and Ag + by switching solvent media. It means that: (1) it showed selective response to Cu 2+ in acetonitrile, (2) whereas it exhibited high selectivity for Ag + in water. The density functional theory calculations were used to clearly explain the different recognition behaviors in different solvent media. This research suggests that compound 1 bearing sulfonamide and morpholine functionalities could act as a multifunctional chemosensor for monitoring multiple cations by changing solvent media and provides an alternative approach to design novel dual cations chemosensors.