Open AccessUltrasensitive, Specific, and Rapid Fluorescence Turn‐On Nitrite Sensor Enabled by Precisely Modulated Fluorophore Binding
Author(s) -
Ma Zhiwei,
Li Jiguang,
Hu Xiaoyun,
Cai Zhenzhen,
Dou Xincun
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
advanced science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.388
H-Index - 100
ISSN - 2198-3844
DOI - 10.1002/advs.202002991
Subject(s) - benzothiazole , fluorophore , nitrite , fluorescence , chemistry , detection limit , moiety , combinatorial chemistry , photochemistry , stereochemistry , organic chemistry , nitrate , chromatography , physics , quantum mechanics
The precise regulation of fluorophore binding sites in an organic probe is of great significance toward the design of fluorescent sensing materials with specific functions. In this study, a probe with specific fluorescence properties and nitrite detection ability is designed by precisely modulating benzothiazole binding sites. Only the fluorophore bond at the ortho ‐position of the aniline moiety can specifically recognize nitrite, which ensures that the reaction products displays a robust green emission. The unique 2‐(2‐amino‐4‐carboxyphenyl) benzothiazole ( ortho ‐BT) shows superior nitrite detection performance, including a low detection limit (2.2 fg), rapid detection time (<5 s), and excellent specificity even in the presence of >40 types of strong redox active, colored substances, nitro compounds, and metal ions. Moreover, the probe is highly applicable for the rapid on‐site and semiquantitative measurement of nitrite. The proposed probe design strategy is expected to start a new frontier for the exploration of probe design methodology.