A water-soluble colorimetric and fluorescent probe for rapidly sensing of ClO− in organisms

A simple colorimetric and fluorescent probe bearing coumarin and p-toluenesulfonyl hydrazide moieties was developed, which was capable of displaying excellent selectivity for hypochlorite. The distinct absorption spectral shift (49 nm) was induced by ClO − -triggered oxidative hydrolysis of C N double bonds in aqueous solution, which was accompanied by the optical variation from yellow to colorless. Besides, this probe solution underwent a dramatic intensification (162-fold) of the fluorescence signaling at 444 nm via the addition of ClO − (3 equiv.) within a short time. More importantly, the results achieved by fluorescence spectra revealed an excellent linear relation of probe 1 for ClO − with excellent sensitivity (9.1 nM). Further, the good recoveries and cellular experiments verified the prospective functions of this probe in real water environment and SW 480 cells.