Exploiting the higher alkynophilicity of Au-species: Development of a highly selective fluorescent probe for gold ions

Abstract

A new approach, involving the anchoring–unanchoring of a fluorophore, has been developed for the detection of Au-species. The fluorescent probe was found to be highly selective for sensing gold species in the presence of several other metal ions. A successful application to bioimaging has also been demonstrated with A549 lung cancer cells. © 2012 The Royal Society of Chemistry.