We report a turn-on fluorescent probe for H2S through a cascade reaction using a new trap group 4-(bromomethyl)benzoate, based on excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) sensing mechanism. The probe showed good selectivity and high sensitivity towards H2S and it was capable of detecting and imaging H2S in living HeLa cells, indicating its potential biological applications.

Chinese Chemical Letters

Available online 18 May 2016