A novel fluorescent probe for based on carbazole for detection formaldehyde and its imaging in live cells applications

• Published in: Microchemical journal 2025-02, Vol.209, p.112824, Article 112824
• Main Authors: Shao, Jianyu, Huang, Huichao, Liu, Xiangyao, Lan, Xiaolin, Ren, Shixue, Liu, Wenbo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Carbazole; Fluorescent; Formaldehyde; High selectivity; Intramolecular charge transfer; Probe
• ISSN: 0026-265X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.microc.2025.112824

[Display omitted] •A novel carbazole-based fluorescence chemical sensor for the detection of formaldehyde.•Probe has a low detection limit and fast response to formaldehyde in solution.•Probe exhibits a high degree of specificity in its recognition of formaldehyde.•CBFP was utilized for imaging exogenous FA in living cells. Formaldehyde (FA) is a common volatile indoor air pollutant that poses a significant risk to human health. It is, therefore, important to be able to rapidly, simply and accurately test for FA in order to control and remove it effectively. In this study, we have developed a novel carbazole-based fluorescent probe (CBFP), which uses the intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) effect as its fluorescence mechanism. The experimental results show that the probe can effectively detect FA. CBFP has high sensitivity (limit of detection = 42.7 µM) and high selectivity for the detection of FA in solution. Moreover, the probe features strong pH stability and resistance to interference, making it highly suitable for use in complex environments. In addition, probe CBFP has been successfully employed for detecting FA in HeLa cells.