A new fluorescence turn-on probe for Hg(2+) imaging in living cells was judiciously designed based on the interactions of Hg(2+) to both thiol and alkyne moieties in a rhodamine scaffold, and the likely novel sensing mechanism has been proposed.

A novel reversible fluorescence turn-on chemosensor 1 for Hg(2+) was constructed based on a new receptor composed of an S atom and an alkene moiety. The sensor showed a large fluorescence enhancement response (1000-fold enhancement), high selectivity, and high sensitivity with a detection limit of 27.5 nM. Significantly, the reversible sensor functioned well in the near pure aqueous medium and could be employed for Hg(2+) imaging in living cells.

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