Abstract
A small organic molecule P was synthesized and characterized as a fluorometric and colorimetric dual-modal probe for Hg2+. The sensing characteristics of the proposed probe for Hg2+ were studied in detail. A fluorescent enhancing property at 583 nm (>30 fold) accompanied with a visible colorimetric change, from colorless to pink, was observed with the addition of Hg2+ to P in an ethanol-water solution (8:2, v/v, 20 mM HEPES, pH 7.0), which would be helpful to fabricate Hg2+-selective probes with “naked-eye” and fluorescent detection. Meanwhile, cellular experimental results demonstrated its low cytotoxicity and good biocompatibility, and the application of P for imaging of Hg2+ in living cells was satisfactory.
Highlights
IntroductionMercury can exist in elemental, inorganic, and organic forms in the environment, among which Hg2+ is a carcinogenic and caustic material with high biological toxicity [1]
Mercury can exist in elemental, inorganic, and organic forms in the environment, among which Hg2+ is a carcinogenic and caustic material with high biological toxicity [1].It can form methylmercury naturally by biomethylation in aquatic environments
Though examples of “turn-on” Hg2+ probes have become available that display high selectivity and sensitivity for Hg2+ in micellar media and neutral aqueous samples [8,9], even imaging in zebrafish [10], most of the reported Hg2+ -selective fluorescent probes are based on fluorescence quenching (“on–off”) mechanisms due to the spin–orbit coupling effect of Hg2+ [11,12,13], which is not favored over a fluorescence enhancement signal in light of selectivity and sensitivity concerns
Summary
Mercury can exist in elemental, inorganic, and organic forms in the environment, among which Hg2+ is a carcinogenic and caustic material with high biological toxicity [1]. Rhodamine spirocyclic form derivatives are non-fluorescent and colorless, whereas strong fluorescence emission and a visible color change can be displayed upon combination with the targets This recognition progress is caused by ring-opening of the corresponding rhodamine spirolactam [14]. Benzoyl hydrazide derivatives are efficient selective receptors for the recogniproperties. Benzoyl hydrazide derivatives are efficient selective receptors for tion of metal ions due to the multiple N and O binding sites [32,33,34], which effectively the recognition of metal ions due to the multiple N and O binding sites [32,33,34], which modulates their fluorescence. Benzoyl hydrazide derivatives could dual roles both as receptor units and reporters in probes.
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