A highly sensitive and selective fluorescent probe for trivalent aluminum ion based on rhodamine derivative in living cells

•A rhodamine derivative is used as a colormetric and fluorescent chemosensor for Al3+.•The chemosensor exhibits a highly sensitive response with a 70-fold enhancement.•The chemosensor exhibits a high selectivity for Al3+ over other metal ions.•The chemosensor has been used in water samples and living cells successfully.

A rhodamine spirolactam derivative (1) is developed as a colormetric and fluorescent probe for trivalent aluminum ions (Al3+). It exhibits a highly sensitive “turn-on” fluorescent response toward Al3+ with a 70-fold fluorescence intensity enhancement under 2 equiv. of Al3+ added. The probe can be applied to the quantification of Al3+ with a linear range covering from 5.0 × 10−7 to 2.0 × 10−5 M and a detection limit of 4.0 × 10−8 M. Most importantly, the fluorescence changes of the probe are remarkably specific for Al3+ in the presence of other metal ions, which meet the selective requirements for practical application. Moreover, the experiment results show that the response behavior of 1 towards Al3+ is pH independent in neutral condition (pH 6.0–8.0) and the response of the probe is fast (response time less than 3 min). In addition, the proposed probe has been used to detect Al3+ in water samples and image Al3+ in living cells with satisfying results.

Graphical abstractFigure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide