The smart 2-(2-fluorobenzoyl)-N-(2-methoxyphenyl)hydrazinecarbothioamide functionalized as Ni(II) sensor in micromolar concentration level and its application in live cell imaging.

In recent years, fluorescent probes for the detection of environmentally and biologically important metal cations have received extensive attention for designing and development of fluorescent chemosensors. Herein, we report the photophysical results of 2-(2-fluorobenzoyl)-N-(2-methoxyphenyl) hydrazinecarbothioamide (4) functionalized as Ni (II) sensor in micromolar concentration level. Through fluorescence titration at 488 nm, we were confirmed that ligand 4 showed the remarkable emission by complexation between 4 and Ni (II) while it appeared no emission in case of the competitive ions (Cr(3+), Fe(2+), Co(2+), Ba(2+), Cu(2+), Ca(2+), Na(+), K(+), Cu(+), Cs(+)). Furthermore, ligand 4 exhibited no toxicity with precise cell permeability toward normal living cells using L929 cell lines in bio imaging experiment investigated through confocal fluorescence microscope. The non-toxic behavior of ligand 4 (assessed by MTT assay) and its ability to track the Ni(2+) in living cells suggest its possibility to use in biological system as nickel sensor.