A Benzothiazole-Based Fluorescent Probe for Ratiometric Detection of Al(3+) and Its Application in Water Samples and Cell Imaging

An easily prepared benzothiazole-based probe (BHM) was prepared and characterized by general spectra, including (1)H NMR, (13)C NMR, HRMS, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Based on the synergistic mechanism of the inhabitation of intramolecular charge transfer (ICT), the BHM displayed high selectivity and sensitivity for Al(3+) in DMF/H(2)O (v/v, 1/1) through an obvious blue-shift in the fluorescent spectrum and significant color change detected by the naked eye, respectively. The binding ratio of BHM with Al(3+) was 1:1, as determined by the Job plot, and the binding details were investigated using FT-IR, (1)H NMR titration, and ESI-MS analysis. Furthermore, the BHM was successfully applied in the detection of Al(3+) in the Songhua River and on a test stripe. Fluorescence imaging experiments confirmed that the BHM could be used to monitor Al(3+) in human stromal cells (HSC).