Fluorescence Signaling of Hydrogen Sulfide in Broad pH Range Using a Copper Complex Based on BINOL–Benzimidazole Ligands

A weakly fluorescent complex derived from a binaphthol–benzimidazole ligand was designed and synthesized for hydrogen sulfide at different pH conditions. It was demonstrated that the probe showed the same reactivity to various hydrogen sulfide species in a broad range of pH values to generate highly fluorescent product through a displacement reaction mechanism, whereas the product’s fluorescence spectrum exhibited a hypsochromic shift of ∼73 nm (2393 cm–1) as pH increased from neutral to basic, which can be used for distinguishing the various species of hydrogen sulfide. This turn-on fluorescence probe was highly selective and sensitive to hydrogen sulfide with a detection limit of 0.11 μM. It was then applied for evaluating the total content of sulfide (including hydrogen sulfide, hydrosulfide, and sulfide) as well as for the visual detection of gaseous H2S in air using a simple test paper strip.