A new Schiff base fluorescent probe for imaging Cu2+ in living cells

• Probe L for Cu2+ was firstly synthesized based on ferrocenyl-1,3,4-thiadiazol.
• Probe L was a multichannel chemosensor with electrochemical and optical properties.
• Probe L was applied to monitor the intracellular Cu2+ level in Hela cells.

A novel probe based on ferrocenyl-1,3,4-thiadiazol-containing Schiff base was synthesized by the reaction of 5-ferrocenyl-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-amine and 4-(diethylamino)salicylaldehyde, and characterized by IR, NMR, HRMS and X-ray analysis. UV–vis spectral and fluorescence property of the probe were investigated. The probe can be used to colorimetric sensitive and selective fluorescent recognition of Cu2+ in buffer solution. Moreover, the probe can detect Cu2+ by electrochemical method. Additionally, the Schiff base was successfully used as a selective and sensitive fluorescent probe for monitoring Cu2+ ions in living cells.

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