A turn-on fluorescent probe based on benzothiazole for H2S detection and its multiple applications in water samples and food spoilage

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a common hazardous gas, which is associated with environmental water pollution and food spoilage. Herein, a turn-on benzothiazole-based fluorescent probe (BATD) was synthesized for detecting H2S and characterized by single crystal XRD, NMR and MS. BATD exhibited enhanced fluorescence signal at 600 nm with a remarked Stokes shift (145 nm), rapid response (within 90 s) and sensitivity (limit of detection, LOD = 76 nM) for H2S detection. The probe was significantly fluorescent enhancement in response to H2S over the other analytes. In addition, BATD was employed to detect H2S in water samples and monitor H2S gas generated from food spoilage. Benefiting from the excellent performance of the probe in recognizing H2S, a convenient H2S sensing platform for smartphones had been successfully established.