Synthesis and applications of a corrole-based dual-responsive fluorescent probe for separate detection of hydrazine and hydrogen sulfide

Abstract

Here, a corrole-based dual-responsive fluorescent probe DPC-DNBS was rationally designed and synthesized for the separate detection of hydrazine (N2H4) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) with high selectivity and sensitivity. The probe DPC-DNBS is intrinsically none fluorescent due to PET effect, however, addition of increasing amount of N2H4 or H2S to DPC-DNBS turned on an excellent NIR fluorescence centered at 652 nm and thereby provided a colorimetric signaling behavior. The sensing mechanism was verified by HRMS, 1H NMR and the DFT calculations. Common metal ions and anions do not interfere with the interactions of DPC-DNBS with N2H4 or H2S. Furthermore, the presence of N2H4 does not affect the detection of H2S; however, the presence of H2S interferes with the detection of N2H4. Hence, quantitative detection of N2H4 must occur in an H2S-free environment. The probe DPC-DNBS displayed some fascinating merits in separate detection of these two analytes, including large Stokes shift (233 nm), fast response (15 min for N2H4, 30 s for H2S), low detection limit (90 nM for N2H4, 38 nM for H2S), wide pH range (6–12) and outstanding biological compatibility. Significantly, DPC-DNBS was utilized to detect hydrazine in real water, soil and food samples. And its favorable performances for separate detection N2H4 and H2S were successfully demonstrated in HeLa cells and zebrafish, indicating its value of practical application in biology.