A tetraphenylimidazole-based fluorescent probe for the detection of hydrogen sulfide and its application in living cells.

A novel probe based on the fluorescence off-on strategy was prepared to optically detect hydrogen sulfide (H2S) via an excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) mechanism. The probe shows high sensitivity and excellent selectivity to H2S. It also displays a large Stokes shift (∼140 nm) and a remarkable quantum yield enhancement (Ф=0.412) after interaction with H2S. Moreover, the cellular imaging experiment demonstrated that it has potential utility for H2S sensing in biological sciences.