Simultaneous bioimaging recognition of Al3+ and Cu2+ in living-cell, and further detection of F− and S2− by a simple fluorogenic benzimidazole-based chemosensor

A simple Schiff base (BMSA) prepared from salicylaldehyde and 2-(1H-benzo[ d ]imidazol-2-yl)aniline was evaluated as an efficient fluorescent chemosensor for the selective recognition of Al 3+ and Cu 2+ over other common metal ions . This sensor could detect Al3 + in CH 3 OH/PBS with distinct emission red-shift (the detection limit 0.31   μM)and Cu 2+ in CH 3 OH/Tris-HCL (the detection limit 0.54   μM) with obvious fluorescence quenching . The obtained BMSA-Al 3+ and BMSA-Cu 2+ complexes could act as cascade sensors for detecting F − and S 2− , respectively. The recognizing behavior of BMSA toward Al 3+ and Cu 2+ has been investigated in detail through Job's Plot, FT-IR NMR , and HRMS analysis. Moreover, this chemosensor was verified to be of low cytotoxicity and good imaging characteristics for the detection of Al 3 + and Cu 2+ , and further for the recognition of F − and S 2− in living cells, suggesting that BMSA was proved to be a useful tool for tracking Al3 + /Cu 2+ and F − /S 2− ions in vivo .