Hydrogen sulfide is a flammable and poisonous gas pollutant often emitted to air as a by-product of water supply, chemical, petroleum and coal industries. It can be transferred into sulfur dioxide in the air under some meteorologic conditions. Herein, a novel functional copper complex is reported which can selectively absorb hydrogen sulfide and subsequently release a highly fluorescent molecule. The copper complex is functionalized with a benzoxadiazole moiety as a fluorescence reporter, and the copper center serves as the recognition and binding site for sulfide. The application of the copper complex has been demonstrated for sensitive and selective measurement of hydrogen sulfide on the basis of "turn-on" fluorescence method, and the limit of detection is determined to be 0.1 mu M. Other relevant anionic ions such as bisulfite, sulfate and mercapto compounds showed no interference for the detection of sulfide. These results suggest that the compound and method can be potentially applied for on-site measurement and effective removal of sulfide from environment.