A ratiometric fluorescent probe for rapid and specific detection of hypochlorite

Abstract Hypochlorite (ClO − ), as a kind of essential reactive oxygen species, plays a crucial role in vitro and in vivo . Here, a ratiometric fluorescent probe ( TPAM ) was designed and constructed for sensing ClO − based on substituted triphenylamine and malononitrile, which exhibited obvious colour transfer from orange to colourless under daylight accompanied by noticeable fluorescence change from red to green in response to ClO − . TPAM could effectively monitor ClO − with the merits of fast response, excellent selectivity, high sensitivity and a low detection limit of 0.1014 μM. 1 H NMR, mass spectra and theoretical calculations proved that ClO − caused the oxidation of the carbon–carbon double bond in TPAM , resulting in compound 1 and marked changes in colour and fluorescence. In addition, TPAM was utilized for imaging ClO − in living cells successfully with good photostability and biocompatibility.