A simple fluorescent probe for selectively detecting Al3+ and F- in living cells and growing tea plant

Abstract

Compounds containing aluminum (Al3+) or fluorine (F-) are two kinds of substances easily enriched by tea plant, which excessive accumulate in tea will affect the health of tea lovers. Herein, a simple highly sensitive and selective fluorescent probe (named BHMP) for Al3+ and F- detection was developed through a one-step condensation reaction, in which benzothiazole acted as fluorophore and acceptor, and hydrazine-Schiff base as a recognition unit. The probe was characterized comprehensively by spectroscopic methods, and the structure-activity relationship was systematically researched through crystal structure and theoretical calculations. The sensitivity was measured by fluorescent titration experiment and the limit of detection (LOD) towards Al3+ was up to 1.04 × 10−8 mol/L. Furthermore, we successfully utilized BHMP to visualized detect the existence of Al3+ in living cells and tea tree roots by fluorescence confocal imaging. The successful detection of Al3+ in tea tree roots indicated that BHMP could be used as a candidate fluorescent chemsensor to dynamically monitor the variation of enriched Al3+ under the influence of environment during tea tree growth. Our study provided a reference for the control of Al3+ in the growth process of tea plants, and provided new insights into improving tea quality control.