Simple fluorescent probe derived from tetraphenylethylene and benzoquinone for instantaneous biothiol detection

A novel probe incorporating tetraphenylethylene and benzoquinone into a molecule was synthesized and studied for the selective detection of biothiols. The probe was found to have a highly selective response to biothiols through a thiol-ene click-reaction with fluorescence turn-on feature. The observable color changes before and after biothiol addition indicated that the probe was suitable for naked-eye biothiol detection.