Lin Yuan, Weiying Lin and Yanming Feng
Org. Biomol. Chem., 2011,9, 1723-1726
DOI:
10.1039/C0OB01045F,
Communication
A novel strategy to systematically tune the pKa values of rhodamines is described. This strategy was applied to rationally develop compound 1e with a pKa of 6.5, the highest among rhodamine amide derivatives, and it could be employed to detect acidic pH variations in living cells with a turn-on signal.