A benzothiazole-based fluorescent probe for sensing Zn2+and its application

A novel probe L based on benzothiazole was synthesized and characterized. The sensing performance was investigated by fluorescence spectrometry. The results showed that probe L had a single selective recognition towards Zn2+ with a low detection limit (0.678 mu M) in DMSO/Tris-HCl buffer solution. The binding ratios be-tween L and Zn2+ were 1: 1. The pH test showed that L had a wide detection range of 7-10 for Zn2+. Probe L responds very fast to Zn2+ about 30 s. The recognition mechanism was studied by 1H NMR, mass spectrum analysis and theoretical calculations. The test strips and fluorescence film experiments of the probe show that probe L can detect liquid and solid zinc salts, revealing that the probe is expected to be used for portable visual real-time monitoring of liquid and solid zinc salts. Notably, probe L was successfully applied in different water samples and living Hela cells for the determination and imaging of Zn2+ respectively.