A reversible calix[4]arene armed phenolphthalein based fluorescent probe for the detection of Zn²⁺ and an application in living cells

Abstract

A reversible and easy assembled fluorescent sensor based on calix[4]arene and phenolphthalein (C4P) was developed for selective zinc ion (Zn2+) sensing in aqueous samples. The probe C4P demonstrated high selective and sensitive detection towards Zn2+ over other competitive metal ions. Interaction of Zn2+ with a solution of C4P resulted in a considerable increment in emission intensity at 440 nm (λex = 365 nm) due to the suppression of photoinduced electron transfer (PET) process and the restriction of C=N isomerization. The binding constant (Ka) of C4P with Zn2+ was calculated to be 4.50 × 1011 M−2 and also the limit of detection of C4P for Zn2+ was as low as 0.108 μM (at 10−7 M level). Moreover, the fluorescence imaging in the human colon cancer cells suggested that C4P had great potential to be used to examine Zn2+ in vivo.

A flexible tripod fluorescent probe for multiple cations detection and its application in living cells

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A pyridine based Schiff base as a selective and sensitive fluorescent probe for cadmium ions with “turn-on” fluorescence responses

“…[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] Fluorescent probes have become a tool of choice in the field of analytical chemistry due to their many practical application advantages, such as high sensitivity, simplicity, reproducibility, low cost, and real time rapid responses. [11][12][13][14][15][16][17] The signal of a fluorescent sensor is usually monitored as a change of its emission intensity, fluorescence lifetime, or a shift of emission wavelength. 18 Mostly, fluorescent probes including a Schiff base group, possessing multifarious mechanisms, such as inhibition of photoinduced electron transfer (PET), internal charge transfer (ICT), Fo ¨rster resonance energy transfer (FRET), excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT), and CQN isomerization as well as chelationenhanced fluorescence (CHEF) have been adopted.…”

Design and synthesis of two new terbium and europium complex‐based luminescent probes for the selective detection of zinc ions

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