A highly selective turn-on fluorescent sensor for fluoride and its application in imaging of living cells

Abstract

A fluorescent probe (FS) based on a fluoride-specific desilylation reaction has been developed for a highly selective and sensitive detection of F-. In the presence of F-, the probe FS provided significant green fluorescence enhancement, while other anions produced only minor changes in fluorescence intensity. The probe FS has a limit of detection of 1.45 mu M, which is reasonable for the detection of micromolar concentrations of F- ions. The maximum fluorescence enhancement induced by F- in the probe was observed over the pH range 7-10. Moreover, fluorescence microscopy imaging using mouse leukaemic monocyte macrophage showed that the probe FS could be an efficient fluorescent probe for F- ions in living cells.