Synthesis and application of a novel fluorescent probe based on benzothiazole for detection of hydrazine in real samples

A novel fluorescence enhancement type probe 2-(1, 3-benzothiazol-2-yl)-5-(diethylamino)phenyl thiophene-2-carboxylate (PTN) for the detection of hydrazine (N2H4) was designed and synthesised. The fluorescence of the probe PTN solution increased dramatically upon the addition of N2H4 and its appearance changed from nearly colourless to dazzling blue. The simple structure and readily available fluorescent probe provide a novel approach for the quantitative detection of N2H4 in the linear range from 0 to 37.5 μM, with a detection limit down to 56 nM, fast response (within 5 min), strong anti-interference ability, easy operation (test paper), and a wide range of pH from 6 to 10. Furthermore, the probe PTN was able to detect N2H4 in actual water samples and image the exogenous N2H4 signal in colorimetric test strips and living zebrafish.