A long-wavelength-emitting fluorescent turn-on probe for imaging hydrogen sulfide in living cells

A long-wavelength-emitting fluorescent turn-on probe for H2S based on the thiolysis of dinitrophenyl ether has been designed and synthesized facilely. The probe has a red emission at 655 nm in aqueous solution with high sensitivity (17-fold turn-on) to H2S. Further, the probe exhibits a high selectivity for H2S detection without interference from various biologically relevant species. Its potential utility for biological applications was confirmed by fluorescence imaging of H2S in living cells. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.