A novel colorimetric NIR fluorescent probe for turn-on detection and imaging of hydrogen sulfide

A near-infrared emission fluorescent turn-on probe FC-DNBS for H2S detection was synthesized based on assembling hydroxyphenyl substituted corrole derivative with 2,4-dinitrobenzenesulfonyl moiety. FC-DNBS could recognize H2S through thiolysis reaction triggered by HS- to liberate 5,15-di(4-fluorophenyl)-10-(4-hydroxylphenyl)-corrole (FC-OH), which produced a strong red fluorescent signal (652 nm). The sensing mechanism was checked by 1H NMR, MS and the DFT calculations. FC-DNBS displayed ultra-fast response (18 s), high selectivity and sensitivity (LOD: 48 nM), large Stokes shift (228 nm), and “naked eye” visualization for tracing H2S. Thanks to these unique features, FC-DNBS has been successfully applied for NIR fluorescence for detection and imaging of H2S in natural waters, red wines, living cells and zebrafish, demonstrating its value of practical applications in food samples and biological systems.