6-Substituted quinoline-based ratiometric two-photon fluorescent probes for biological Zn2+ detection.

New ratiometric two-photon fluorescent probes are developed from 6-substituted quinolines for biological Zn(2+) detection. They show large red shifts and good ratiometric responses upon Zn(2+) binding. They also exhibit high ion selectivities and large two-photon absorption cross sections at nearly 720 nm. Because the new probes are cell-permeable, they can be used to detect intracellular zinc flux under two-photon excitation.