A Novel Colorimetric and Off-On Fluorescent Chemosensor for Cr3+ in Aqueous Solution and its Application in Live Cell Imaging

A novel colorimetric and off-on fluorescent chemosensor 2 was designed and synthesized, which showed reversible and highly selective and sensitive recognition toward Cr3+ over other examined metal ions in aqueous solution. Upon addition of Cr3+, the solution of chemosensor 2 resulted in a color change from colorless to obvious pink color, these significant changes in color could be used for naked-eye detection. Chemosensor 2 exhibited a stable response for Cr3+ in the range 0-10 mu M with a detection limit of 1 ppm. Furthermore, fluorescence imaging experiments of Cr3+ ions in living MGC803 cells demonstrated its value of practical applications in biological systems.