ESIPT-based fluorescence probe for the rapid detection of hypochlorite (HOCl/ClO)

ESIPT-based fluorescence probes are emerging as an attractive tool for the detection of biologically relevant analytes owing to their unique photophysical properties. In this work, we have developed an ESIPT-based fluorescence probe ( TCBT-OMe ) for the detection of HClO/ClO − through the attachment of a bioorthogonal dimethylthiocarbamate linker. TCBT-OMe was shown to rapidly detect HClO/ClO − (30 min to produce a fluorescence response. Test strips containing TCBT-OMe were prepared and were demonstrated as an effective way to detect HClO/ClO − in water. Furthermore, TCBT-OMe was shown to detect exogenously added HClO/ClO − in three different water samples with little interference thus demonstrating the effectiveness as a method for the detection of HClO/ClO − in drinking water samples. ESIPT-based fluorescence probes are emerging as an attractive tool for the detection of biologically relevant analytes owing to their unique photophysical properties.