A reaction-based ratiometric fluorescent sensor for the detection of Hg(ii) ions in both cells and bacteria

Abstract

A novel reaction-based fluorescent probe (ATC-Hg) was designed and synthesized via the “covalent assembly” principle, which exhibited excellent selectivity and high sensitivity for Hg²⁺ and CH₃Hg⁺. Moreover, it is the first Hg(II) sensitive fluorescent probe that has been successfully applied in imaging in both cells and Escherichia coli.