Substituent effects on the turn-on kinetics of rhodamine-based fluorescent pH probes.

Fluorescent turn-on probes based on a rhodamine spirolactam (RSL) structure have recently become a popular means of detecting pH, metal ions, and other analytes of interest. RSLs are colorless and non-fluorescent until the target analyte induces opening of the spirocyclic ring system, revealing the fully conjugated and highly fluorescent rhodamine dye. Among RSLs opened by acid, we have observed wide variation in the kinetics of the fluorescence turn-on process such that some probes would not be usable in situations where a rapid reading is desired or the pH fluctuates temporally.