A ratiometric fluorescent probe for rapid and specific detection of hypochlorite

Abstract

AbstractHypochlorite (ClO−), as a kind of essential reactive oxygen species, plays a crucial role in vitro and in vivo. Here, a ratiometric fluorescent probe (TPAM) was designed and constructed for sensing ClO− based on substituted triphenylamine and malononitrile, which exhibited obvious colour transfer from orange to colourless under daylight accompanied by noticeable fluorescence change from red to green in response to ClO−. TPAM could effectively monitor ClO− with the merits of fast response, excellent selectivity, high sensitivity and a low detection limit of 0.1014 μM. 1H NMR, mass spectra and theoretical calculations proved that ClO− caused the oxidation of the carbon–carbon double bond in TPAM, resulting in compound 1 and marked changes in colour and fluorescence. In addition, TPAM was utilized for imaging ClO− in living cells successfully with good photostability and biocompatibility.