A Substitution‐Dependent Light‐Up Fluorescence Probe for Selectively Detecting Fe3+ Ions and Its Cell Imaging Application |
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| Authors: | Xing Feng Ying Li Xuewen He Haixiang Liu Zheng Zhao Ryan T K Kwok Mark R J Elsegood Jacky W Y Lam Ben Zhong Tang |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction, Division of Life Science, Institute for Advanced Study and Division of Biomedicine Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Kowloon, Hong Kong, P. R. China;2. School of Materials and Energy, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, P. R. China;3. Chemistry Department, Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK;4. NSFC Center for Luminescence from Molecular Aggregates, SCUT‐HKUST Joint Research Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, P. R. China;5. HKUST‐Shenzhen Research Institute, Nanshan, Shenzhen, P. R. China |
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| Abstract: | Deliberate design of specific and sensitive molecular probes with distinctive physical/chemical properties for analyte sensing is of great significance. Herein, by taking advantage of the position‐dependent substituent effects, an aggregation‐induced emission featured iron (III) probe from ortho‐substituted pyridinyl‐functionalized tetraphenylethylene (TPE‐o‐Py) is synthesized. It displays high sensitivity and selectivity toward iron (III) detection. The recognition arises from the position isomer of ortho‐substitution, and the fact that TPE‐o‐Py has a low acid dissociation constant (pK a) that is close to that of hydrolyzed Fe3+. Importantly, TPE‐o‐Py as a light‐up fluorescence probe could be employed for Fe3+ sensing in living cells with a pronounced red‐shift in fluorescence emission. |
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| Keywords: | acid dissociation constant aggregation‐induced emission cell imaging iron (III) molecular recognition |
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