A ratiometric turn-on fluorescent probe for the detection of BF based on imidazole-quinoline.

In this study, a novel ratiometric fluorescent sensor SYW for the detection of BF was successfully synthesized based on imidazole-quinoline. The sensor showed noticeable fluorescence enhancement after binding to BF with remarkable color change observed by naked eye in a short response time (within 30 s). Additionally, the probe had an extremely low detection limit (1.71 nM) and exhibited excellent specificity for BF. The recognition mechanism of the probe SYW for BF was determined by F NMR, FTIR, HRMS, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Moreover, the probe can also be applied in quantitatively detecting BF concentrations as well as gaseous BF by test paper strips containing SYW. In addition, the probe SYW was also employed to detect BF in living cells. These results suggested that the probe SYW displayed promising applications in environmental monitoring, and industrial production, and biological systems.