Reaction Based Fluorescent Probes for Hydrogen Sulfide

A reaction based fluorescence turn-on strategy for hydrogen sulfide (H2S) was developed. This strategy was based on a H2S-specific Michael addition-cyclization sequence. Other biological thiols such as cysteine and glutathione did not pursue the reaction and therefore did not turn on the fluorescence/consume the substrates. The probes showed good selectivity and sensitivity for hydrogen sulfide.