A Novel Fluorescent Probe for Detecting Hydrogen Sulfide in Wine

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) has recently been recognized as the third endogenous gaseous signaling molecule besides NO and CO. At the same time, H2S is responsible for an important proportion of faulty wines with potentially large economic losses. Thus, the H2S in wine not only contributes negatively to wine aroma but also faces a problem of food safety. So an efficient and practical sensor to detect H2S in wine was needed. A new fluorescent probe 4-methyl-2-oxo-2H-chromen-7-yl-thiophene-2-carboxylate (probe 1) was designed and synthesized for detection of H2S. Addition of H2S caused the fluorescence intensity of probe 1 increased and fluorescence saturation was reached in 15 min. The fluorescence of probe 1 was found turn-on under UV light at 365 nm. This noticeable change of probe 1 indicates that probe 1 could be employed as a visible detection agent for H2S. H2S can be detected quantitatively in the concentration range 0–20 μM, and the detection limit on fluorescence response of the probe was 18 nM. Moreover, probe 1 can be conveniently used as a signal tool to determine the H2S levels in wine.