Selenide-containing organic resonance molecules as turn-on fluorescent probes for the selective detection of hypochlorous acid

A new series of N-P=Se resonance-based fluorescent molecules were developed and used for the detection of hypochlorous acid (HClO) with rapid response and high selectivity. These Se-containing molecules can selectively detect trace amounts of HClO in nM, showing significantly strengthened fluorescence due to the enhanced resonance variation with an increased distance between the fluorophore and Se. The design of N-P=Se resonance molecules in donor-resonance-acceptor (D-r-A) architectures could be an important way to develop high-performance turn-on fluorescent probes for HClO detection.