A benzyl carbazate-based fluorescent chemosensor for detecting Zn²⁺: Application to zebrafish

A benzyl carbazate-based fluorescent chemosensor BCS was designed and synthesized for detection of Zn²⁺ in aqueous media. BCS displayed a notable fluorescence increase with Zn²⁺. Detection limit (1.12 μM) of BCS for zinc ion was much lower than the standard of World Health Organization. BCS was used to analyze the amounts of Zn²⁺ in water samples. Importantly, sensor BCS could be used to image Zn²⁺ in zebrafish, and a fluorescent test strip of sensor BCS for detecting Zn²⁺ could be useful for practical purpose. Sensing process of Zn²⁺ by BCS was demonstrated by DFT calculations, based on an effect of chelation-enhanced fluorescence.