Highly selective fluorescence imaging of zinc distribution in HeLa cells and Arabidopsis using a naphthalene-based fluorescent probe.

2-(N,N-Dimethylamino)naphthalene-based probe 1 was found to exhibit a dramatic enhancement in fluorescence upon addition of Zn(2+), but not with any other metal ions. Probe 1 as a chemoprobe enabled high-resolution fluorescence imaging of zinc ions in HeLa cells and Arabidopsis.