ABSTRACT
A new fluorescent probe (MBT) for the detection of 4-methylbenzenethiol (p-MePhSH) was developed by using 4-(benzo[d]thiazol-2-yl)-3-methoxyphenol as the fluorophore and 2,4-dinitrophenyl ether as the sensing moiety. Probe MBT displayed good selectivity toward p-MePhSH in DMSO/PBS buffer (5/5, v/v) solution and anti-interference over other competitive species via nucleophilic aromatic substitution. The fluorescence intensities of the probe responded p-MePhSH showed a 22-fold enhancement and good linearity with p-MePhSH concentration collected in the range of 0-15 µM. Moreover, the probe is sensitive to p-MePhSH and the limit of detection is 45 nM. The sensing mechanism of probe MBT was verified by high-resolution mass spectrometry and fluorescence lifetime. Furthermore, the probe was used to the detection of p-MePhSH in real water samples.
