Abstract

Ion-induced change in fluorescence is a straight-forward method for detection of toxic metal ions showing immediate response. Cadmium ions are toxic to the environment. We report in this paper a piperidine-4-one-based fluorescent chemosensor of Cd2+ ions, designed and synthesized by a simple method. The compound is characterized using infra-red (IR) and H-1-NMR spectral techniques. The chemosensor showed Cd2+ ion selectivity and sensitivity in aqueous solution. The stoichiometry and the binding constants were determined using fluorescence spectroscopy. Piperidine-4-one shows a 1:1 stoichiometric binding to Cd2+. The limit of detection of Cd2+ was reported.