Pyrazole probes for the detection of N2H4 with ICT properties in live cells and soils

Here, the two novel fluorescent probes Z1 and Z2 have been designed and synthesized based on pyrazole derivative to recognize hydrazine, and the molecular structure was determined by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and ESI-MS. The obtained probe molecules have AIE and ICT characteristics. Nuclear magnetic resonance analysis (NMR) and theoretical calculations were used to confirm the identification mechanism. Probes Z1 and Z2 have good selectivity, low detection limits (0.197 μM and 0.185 μM, respectively), and high sensitivity. Probes Z1 and Z2 have large Stokes shifts of 198 nm and 211 nm, respectively. The probes also could be made into test paper strips for the detection of hydrazine. Furthermore, the probes can be used in the detection of N2H4 in environmental soil samples and cell imaging. The results showed that the synthetic probe had good biocompatibility. Cell imaging experiments were performed to apply probes to the detection of hydrazine hydrate in HeLa cells.