A luminescent 1D coordination polymer (CP) [Zn2L2(H2O)(4)]<middle dot>H2O (1, H2L = 1-(4-carboxyphenyl)-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxylic acid) was prepared by a solvothermal method. 1 shows excellent fluorescence properties and has an obvious fluorescence "turn-on" phenomenon for saccharin (SAC), 2-thiazolidinethione-4-carboxylic acid (TTCA), and periodate (IO4-). Between 0 and 60 mu M concentration range of SAC, the fluorescence enhancement efficiency (K-EC) of 1 reaches 1.00 x 10(5) M-1 with the limit of detection (LOD) of 90 nM. 1 is the first CP-based sensing material for SAC detection. For TTCA detection, the K-EC is 2.73 x 10(5) M-1 at the 25-80 mu M concentration range, and the LOD is 33 nM, the lowest LOD among the sensors that detect TTCA at present. For IO4- ion detection, when the IO4- ion concentration ranges from 0 to 10 mu M, the K-EC is 2.34 x 10(5) M-1 and the LOD is as low as 39 nM. In order to better understand the sensing phenomenon, we also discuss in detail the sensing mechanisms for SAC, TTCA, and IO4- ions.