A novel compound, obtained by one-step condensation of salicylaldehyde and hydrazine hydrate, has been synthesized, and characterized by various spectroscopic techniques. The crystal structure and photophysical properties of the compound have been analyzed in detail. The compound exhibits distinct aggregation-induced emission in acetonitrile-water, and high selectivity towards Cu 2 + ions, fast response time, and low detection limit (5.7 × 10 À 7 mol/L). In this sense, the compound can be applied as a potential probe for detecting copper (II) ions.