A highly water-soluble fluorescent and colorimetric pH probe

A new 5-(4-((2-(benzothiazole-2-carbonyl)hydrazono)methyl)-3-hydroxyphenoxy)N,N,N-trimethylpentan-1-aminium bromide (BTABr) fluorescent and colorimetric pH probe was easily synthesized by the condensation reaction of benzothiazole-2-carbohydrazide with 5-(4-formyl-3-hydroxyphenoxy)-N,N,N-trimethylpentan-1-aminium bromide. The benzothiazole moiety provided the emissive part of the molecule and the charged trimethyl amino group guaranteed outstanding solubility in water, for an organic molecule. pH titration experiments indicated that the probe is useful for monitoring acidic and alkaline solutions, turning reversibly in color/fluorescence just at a neutral pH value. Naked-eye colorimetric response was observed both in solution and in the solid state. In addition, the probe showed high stability and selectivity and large Stokes shifts. Because of these features, BTABr can potentially work as an on-off real-time pH sensor for intracellular pH imaging. The crystal structure of BTABr examined by single-crystal analysis showed a planar geometry of the molecule and confirmed the presence of a molecular stacking between molecules joined in a complex tridimensional hydrogen bonding pattern.