Highly efficient and selective red-emitting Ca2+ probe based on a BODIPY fluorophore

A red-emitting Ca2+ probe based on BODIPY fluorophore was designed and synthesized. Upon Ca2+ binding, the probe exhibits a significant increase of red fluorescence intensity (λmax = 631 nm, ΦF = 0.18), an excellent luminescence ON/OFF ratio (43-fold) and a detection limit of 39 μM. Furthermore, this probe shows desirable sensitivity and selectivity for Ca2+ over other metal ions, which could be potentially applied for Ca2+ detection.230