A Ratiometric Fluorescent Probe for Biological Signaling Molecule H₂S: Fast Response and High Selectivity

Abstract

Selective and fast: A flavylium derivative-based ratiometric fluorescent probe (1) for H2S is reported. The reaction mechanism (see scheme) is based on the nucleophilic addition of H2S towards the electrically positive benzopyrylium moiety of 1, which can efficiently differentiate H2S from other competitive species. The probe exhibits a fast response toward H2S, within 10 s, which is superior to most of the reported H2S probes.