A review of organic small-molecule fluorescent probes for the gallium(III) ion.

Gallium metal and gallium compounds play significant roles in industry and medicine; however, their pollution and residue can pose potential risks to plants, animals and human health. Moreover, accurately detecting Ga 3+ during tumor treatment holds great clinical significance. Therefore, it is crucial to reliably determine the content of Ga 3+ in environmental and biological samples. Organic small-molecule fluorescent probe technology offers high selectivity and sensitivity, rapid detection speed, and non-destructive in situ bioimaging capabilities, making it an ideal approach for Ga 3+ detection. The numerous reported probes for detecting Ga 3+ highlight the immense application potential of fluorescent probes in this field. However, due to limited development of Ga 3+ -specific fluorescent probes thus far, several challenges associated with their design and development remain. This paper presents a comprehensive overview of the performance achieved by Ga 3+ fluorescent probes, while addressing existing issues and proposing corresponding solutions. Additionally, future directions for developing highly efficient Ga 3+ fluorescent probes are outlined as valuable guidance.