A Novel BODIPY‐Dinitrophenylhydrazine “Off–On” Hypochlorite Ion Fluorescent Probe Based on ICT Mechanism

Hypochlorite (ClO − ) plays a crucial role as a significant biological substance in the body. In this work, a fluorescent probe BODIPY‐DP was designed based on the ICT mechanism for the detection of ClO − , using BODIPY as the fluorophore group and a C=N double bond linked to 2,4‐dinitrophenylhydrazine as the recognition group. The fluorescence intensity of the probe shows a good linear relationship with ClO − concentration, with a linear correlation coefficient ( R 2 ) of 0.9945 and a detection limit of 7.38 μM. BODIPY‐DP was found to exhibit good selectivity toward ClO − . The fluorescence intensity increases rapidly within 30 s after the addition of ClO − . The spiked recoveries in the determination of ClO − concentration in the disinfectant solutions were found to range from 93.8% to 108.0%. BODIPY‐DP exhibits favorable cytocompatibility and proves highly effective for the detection of exogenous ClO − in living HepG2 cells. The findings of this study provide a new means for revealing the role of ClO − in biological processes.