An aggregate characteristic of relay fluorescence probe for Cu2+/HPO42− with improved low detection limit based on aggregation-switching mechanism

Synthesis of Coumarinylhydrazone Fluorescent Probe and its Relay Recognition of Cu2+ and HPO42

A novel coumarinylhydrazone fluorescent probe L was designed and synthesized from 4-(diethylamino)salicylaldehyde, its structure was characterized by NMR, IR. Fluorescence emission spectra showed that in ethanol solution, probe L could form a 1:1 complex L-Cu2+ with Cu2+ to realize the "turn-off" detection of Cu2+ with high specificity and sensitivity (3.7 × 10-7 mol/L). Meanwhile, the complex L-Cu2+ had a specific fluorescence-enhanced response to HPO42- with a detection limits down to 5.6 × 10-7 mol/L and was resistant to the effects of many common anions (NO2-, N3-, CO32-, SO32-, HPO42-, I-, Br-, F-, HCO3-, SO42-, NO3-, Cl-, CH3COO-, Cr2O72-, S2O32-, P2O74-). Detection mechanism could be HPO42- captured Cu2+ of the complex and released the free ligand L. At last, the complex L-Cu2+ was successfully applied to the determination of HPO42- in different environmental water samples, and the spiked recoveries ranged from 98.05% to 108.18% and the relative standard deviations of 0.75% ~ 2.9%, which had good application prospects.

A novel reversible fluorescent probe for sequential detection of Al3+ and HPO42- based on caffeic acid and its applicability in cell imaging

In this work, we focused on synthesizing a new fluorescent probe HBA based on caffeic acid for detecting Al3+/HPO42- by the mode of "off-on-off". HBA alone exhibited a weak fluorescence emission in aqueous solution. When Al3+ was added into the HBA solution, a significant green fluorescence was found at 498 nm. However, the introduction of HPO42- to the solution of [HBA-Al3+] complex induced the disappearance of green fluorescence. The detection limit of HBA was calculated as low as 41.7 nM for Al3+ and 62.1 nM for HPO42-, respectively. Probe HBA exhibited good cell-membrane penetrability and had the potential to trace Al3+/HPO42- in biological systems.

Construction of a novel ESIPT and AIE-based fluorescent sensor for sequentially detecting Cu2+ and H2S in both living cells and zebrafish

The development of effective methods for tracking Cu²⁺ and H₂S in living organisms is urgently required due to their vital function in a variety of pathophysiological processes. In this work, a new fluorescent sensor BDF with excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) and aggregation-induced emission (AIE) features for the successive detection of Cu²⁺ and H₂S was constructed by introducing 3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenylacetonitrile into the benzothiazole skeleton. BDF showed a fast, selective and sensitive fluorescence "turn off" response to Cu²⁺ in physiological media, and the situ-formed complex can serve as a fluorescence "turn on" sensor for highly selective detection of H₂S through the Cu²⁺ displacement approach. In addition, the detection limits of BDF for Cu²⁺ and H₂S were determined to be 0.05 and 1.95 μM, respectively. Encouraged by its favourable features, including strong red fluorescence from the AIE effect, large Stokes shift (285 nm), high anti-interference ability and good function at physiological pH as well as a low toxicity, BDF was successfully applied for the consequent imaging of Cu²⁺ and H₂S in both living cells and zebrafish, making it an ideal candidate for detecting and imaging of Cu²⁺ and H₂S in live systems.

Aryl-Phenanthro[9,10-d]imidazole: A Versatile Scaffold for the Design of Optical-Based Sensors

Fluorescent and colorimetric sensors are important tools for investigating the chemical compositions of different matrices, including foods, environmental samples, and water. The high sensitivity, low interference, and low detection limits of these sensors have inspired scientists to investigate this class of sensing molecules for ion and molecule detection. Several examples of fluorescent and colorimetric sensors have been described in the literature; this Review focuses particularly on phenanthro[9,10-d]imidazoles. Different strategies have been developed for obtaining phenanthro[9,10-d]imidazoles, which enable modification of their optical properties upon interaction with specific analytes. These sensing responses usually involve changes in the fluorescence intensity and/or color arising from processes like photoinduced electron transfer, intramolecular charge transfer, intramolecular proton transfer in the excited state, and Förster resonance energy transfer. In this Review, we categorized these sensors into two different groups: those bearing formyl groups and their derivatives and those based on other molecular groups. The different optical responses of phenanthro[9,10-d]imidazole-based sensors upon interaction with specific analytes are discussed.