Synthesis of a Cu²⁺-selective probe derived from rhodamine and its application in cell imaging.

A new fluorescent probe P based on rhodamine for Cu2+ was synthesized and characterized. The new probe P showed high selectivity to Cu2+ over other tested metal ions. With optimal conditions, the proposed probe P worked in a wide linear range of 1.0 × 10(-6)-1.0 × 10(-5) M with a detection limit of 3.3 × 10(-7) M Cu2+ in ethanol-water solution (9:1, v:v, 20 mM HEPES, pH 7.0). Furthermore, it has been used for imaging of Cu2+ in living cells with satisfying results.