A colorimetric and fluorescent turn-on chemosensor for Al3+ and its application in bioimaging

The sensing properties of a boron dipyrromethene derivative 1 containing a N,N-(dimethylamino)styryl group at its α-position and an aniline moiety at meso-position were investigated by steady-state UV-vis absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy, which were found to exhibit wavelength ratiometric and large fluorescence enhancement in the presence of Al3+ with specific selectivity over other metal ions in aqueous media. Furthermore, confocal fluorescence microscopy experiments demonstrated that 1 could be used as a fluorescent probe for Al3+ in living cells.