A Highly Zinc(II)‐Selective Fluorescent Sensor Based on 8‐Aminoquinoline and Its Application in Biological Imaging

A fluorescent probe based on 8-aminoquinoline bearing an aminophenol unit (L1) was developed as a chemosensor for Zn(2+). Sensor L1 exhibits a high selectivity and sensitivity towards Zn(2+) over other common metal ions in the physiological pH window and binds to Zn(2+) through 1:1 binding mode. Fluorescent imaging of Zn(2+) in living cells is also successfully demonstrated.