A Ratiometric Selective Fluorescent Probe Derived from Pyrene for Cu2+ Detection

A novel ratiometric Cu2+-selective probe was rationally constructed based on pyrene derivative. Compared to other tested metal ions, the probe presented the selective recognition for Cu2+ which could be detected by a significant turn-on fluorescent response at 393 nm and 415 nm. Under the optimized conditions, a detection limit of 0.16 mu M Cu2+ in aqueous media was found. Besides this, a 1:1 metal-ligand complex was confirmed by MS spectra and Job's plot experiment, and the binding mode was also studied by H-1 NMR experiment. Meanwhile, the fluorescence imaging in living cells was performed to detect Cu2+ with satisfactory results.