A rhodamine-based fluorescent chemodosimeter rhodamine hydrazide-triazole (RHT) tethered with a triazole moiety was developed for Cu2+ detection. In aqueous medium, the RHT probe exhibited high selectivity and sensitivity toward Cu2+ among other metal ions. The addition of Cu2+ triggered a fluorescence emission of RHT by 384-fold (Φ = 0.33) based on a ring-opening process and a subsequent hydrolysis reaction. Moreover, RHT also showed a selective colorimetric response toward Cu2+ from colorless solution to pink, readily observed with the naked eye. The limit of detection of RHT for Cu2+ was calculated to be 1 nM (0.06 ppb). RHT was successfully demonstrated to detect Cu2+ in Chang liver cells by confocal fluorescence microscopy.
Keywords: 1,2,3-triazole; Cu2+-selective chemodosimeter; bioimaging; fluorescence detection; rhodamine.
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