Colorimetric detection of ozone in aqueous solution and imaging in living cells using a novel hemicyanine dye

Abstract

Ozone (O₃) is ubiquitous in the environment and exposure to high levels of O₃ has been associated with various respiratory diseases, such as asthma, emphysema, and bronchitis. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a simple and efficient detection method for monitoring O₃ in the environment and living cells. In this study, an intramolecular charge-transfer (ICT) compound was designed and synthesized based on a phenol-type hemicyanine dye and 4-bromo-1-butene, which could specifically detect O₃ in aqueous solution. Due to the ICT process, the absorption spectrum, fluorescence spectrum, and color of the probe hemicyanine-butyl-3-enyl (HCB) changed significantly and thus the rapid and sensitive detection of O₃ was realized. The interaction between O₃ and the probe HCB could be completed within 40 min, and the detection limit of O₃ was as low as 2.15 × 10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹. Finally, the proposed method was successfully applied to the visual detection of O₃ in a simulated O₃ environment and living cells.