An
assay to detect carbon monoxide (CO), one of the gaseous signaling
molecules, has been prepared using a new palladium complex probe.
The ethylenediamine group linked to the naphthalimide fluorophore
coordinates to Pd(II) which intramolecularly quenches the emission.
Upon treatment with CO, the absorbance of the turn-on fluorescent
sensor changes due to the formation of a complex between Pd(II) and
CO at room temperature in a phosphate buffer. As the concentration
of CO increases, the probe peak emission intensity at 527 nm gradually
increases. Other analyte controls, such as K+, Mg2+, Al3+, Zn2+, Cr3+, Hg2+, Fe3+, alanine, glycine, leucine, lysine, serine, threonine,
tyrosine, F–, Cl–, Br–, NO, NO2
–, NO3
–, HCO3
–, CH3COO–, H2O2, •OH, and
t
BuOO•, exhibit no significant effect
on emission intensity. The response time of the probe to CO was quite
fast because of the relatively weak coordination of Pd(II) to the
pendent ethylenediamine group. The Pd probe is capable of detecting
CO in aqueous buffer as well as in living cells with high selectivity
and stability, providing a potential real-time indicator for studying
CO-involved reactions in biological systems.