Visualizing tributyltin (TBT) in bacterial aggregates by specific rhodamine-based fluorescent probes

• Six novel rhodamine-based probes for TBT were designed, synthesized and tested.
• The probes show high selectivity and sensitivity in the range from 6 to 20 mM of TBT.
• The probe was used to map TBT in cell-EPS-mineral aggregates.
• Here we present the first examples of fluorescent probes for microscopic TBT imaging.

Here we present the first examples of fluorescent and colorimetric probes for microscopic TBT imaging. The fluorescent probes are highly selective and sensitive to TBT and have successfully been applied for imaging of TBT in bacterial Rhodobacter ferrooxidans sp. strain SW2 cell-EPS-mineral aggregates and in cell suspensions of the marine cyanobacterium Synechococcus PCC 7002 by using confocal laser scanning microscopy.

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