Synthesis of a new pyrene-devived fluorescent probe for the detection of Zn2+

A novel pyrene-based receptor bearing benzothiazole was synthesized as a good turn-on fluorescent sensor for the recognition of Zn2+. The probe showed an excellent selectivity for Zn2+over most other competing ions (eg, Cr3+, Li+, Cd2+, Al3+, Pb2+, Li+, Mg2+, Ag+, Ca2+, Ni2+, Mn2+, Fe3+, Hg2+, Ba2+, K+, Na+, Cu2+, Fe2+) in EtOH-HEPES (65:35, v/v, pH = 7.20), which might be attributed to the photoinduced electron transfer (PET) mechanism. The formation of 1:1 stoichiometric PBZ-Zn2+ complex was determined based on the Job's plot, 1H NMR titration and ESI-MS. The binding constant of the complex was 4.04 × 104 M−1 with a detection limit of 2.58 × 10−7 M. The potential application of the PBZ in real water samples for recognizing Zn2+ was investigated. Bio-imaging study also revealed that PBZ could be applied to detecting Zn2+ in live cells. These results indicated that PBZ could be a favorable probe for Zn2+.