Despite the importance of Nitric Oxide (NO) in physiology and medicine, its quantification at intracellular environments is still a topic of intense research interest and some controversy. There are several fluorescent dyes for NO detection with DAF-FM (Nagano et al; Advanced Materials, 2000 , 12, 763) and Cu-FL (Lippard et al.; Nature Chemical Biology, 2006,  2, 375) being the sole commercial examples. Ratiometric dyes for NO detection are still extremely rare. Another challenge for existing dyes is determining their mechanism of action. The complex (phen)Re(THF)(CO)2(OTf) complex, (phen = 1,10-phenanthroline), which can be obtained photochemically and thermally from (phen)Re(CO)3(OTf), shows ratiometric response upon NO addition (added in the form of NO-donor MAHMA-NONOate). FT-IR, NMR and fluorescence spectroscopy of this and analogous isolable complexes has provided evidence of possible intermediates and has helped us elucidate to an extent a mechanistic pathway for the reactivity of this new ratiometric NO dye. The NO-sensing properties of other organometallic analogs will also be discussed.

Ratiometric detection of nitric oxide by fluorescent organometallic Re-phenanthroline complexes

247th National Meeting (2014)

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