Coordination and fluorescence of the intracellular Zn2+ probe [2-methyl-8-(4-toluenesulfonamido)-6-quinolyloxy]acetic acid (Zinquin A) in ternary Zn2+ complexes.

A potentiometric study of the coordination of the fluorophore, 2-methyl-8-(4-toluenesulfonamido)-6-quinolyloxyacetic acid, (1)LH(2) (the intracellular Zn(2+) probe, Zinquin A) in its deprotonated form, (1)L(2)(-), in Zn(2+) ternary complexes, [Zn(n)L(1)L](n) (where n is the charge of (n)L) at 298.2 K in 50% aqueous ethanol (v/v) and I = 0.10 (NaClO(4)), shows that the formation of [Zn(n)L(1)L](n) from [Zn(n)L]((2+)(n)(+) is characterized by log(K(5)/dm(3) mol(-1)) = 8.23 +/- 0.05, 4.36 +/- 0.18, 8.45 +/- 0.10, 10.00 +/- 0.06, 11.53 +/- 0.06 and 5.92 +/- 0.15, respectively, where (n)L = (2)L - (6)L and (7)L(3-) are 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane, 1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane, 1,4,7-triazacyclononane, 1,5,9-triazacyclododecane, tris(2-aminoethyl)amine and nitrilotriacetate, respectively, and K(5) is the stepwise complexation constant. Dissociation of a hydroxo proton from triethanolamine, (8)L, occurs in the formation of [Zn(8)LH(-1)](+) that subsequently forms [Zn(8)LH(-1)(1)L](-) for which log(K(5)/dm(3) mol(-1)) = 9.87 +/- 0.08. The variation of K(5) and the 5-fold variation of quantum yield of (1)L(2)(-) as its coordination environment changes in Zn(2+) ternary complexes are discussed with reference to the use of (1)L(2-) in the detection of intracellular Zn(2+).