A new ratiometric and colorimetric fluorescent Th4+ probe under extreme acidity and cell imaging

• Published in: Sensors and actuators. B, Chemical Chemical, 2019-10, Vol.296, p.126675, Article 126675
• Main Authors: Liu, Bo, Tan, Yanhong, Hu, Qinghua, Wang, Yuyuan, Mao, Yu, Tao, Peng, Wang, Hongqing
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cell imaging; Fluorescent probe; Tetraphenylethene; Th4
• ISSN: 0925-4005; 1873-3077
• DOI: 10.1016/j.snb.2019.126675

[Display omitted] •A new ratiometric fluorescent probe BH-TPE was reported for Th4+.•The BH-TPE could quantify and monitor Th4+ on real time in the field and in living cells under extreme acidity conditions.•The probe showed better selectivity than other probes, especially avoiding the interference of UO22+, V4+, Fe3+ and Ga3+.•It explained the effect of thorium species on coordination and mechanism of fluorescence in different pH for the first time. It is always a significant challenge to develop a probe for Th4+ in the environment and in vivo under extreme acidity conditions, especially on real-time in the field. Herein, a new Th4+ fluorescent probe N1′,N2′-bis((3-hydroxytetrastyrene-2yl)methylene malonohydrazide (BH-TPE) was designed and studied. It could realize to detect Th4+ in a ratiometric way, which showed relative strong blue fluorescence at 450 nm and yellow-green fluorescence at 522 nm in the absence or present of Th4+, respectively, with good selectivity and sensitivity under extreme acidity environment. And the value of I522 /I450 of the probe had good linear relationship with Th4+ ion concentration in the range of 0–10 μM and the low detection limit 2 × 10−8 M. Meanwhile, it could monitor Th4+ ion by “naked eye” in the field on real-time due to the BH-TPE solution changed from colorless to light green with the increase of Th4+. Moreover, the possible fluorescent mechanism was proposed. Most importantly, the viability of BH-TPE to Th4+ ion was successfully applied to live cell imaging and environmental sample.