A Highly Selective Turn-On Colorimetric, Red Fluorescent Sensor for Detecting Mobile Zinc in Living Cells

We describe ZRL1, a turn-on colorimetric and red fluorescent zinc ion sensor. The Zn2+-promoted ring opening of the rhodamine spirolactam ring in ZRL1 evokes a 220-fold fluorescence turn-on response. In aqueous media, ZRL1 turn-on luminescence is highly selective for Zn2+ ions, with no significant response to other competitive cations, including Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Mn2+, Fe2+, Co2+, Ni2+, Cu2+, Cd2+, or Hg2+. In addition to these characteristics, preliminary results indicate that ZRL1 can be delivered to living cells and can be used to monitor changes in intracellular Zn2+ levels.