Fluorescein-based fluorescent sensor with high selectivity for mercury and its imaging in living cells

A novel fluorescein-based fluorescent Hg2+ sensor (Sensor-Hg) with N-Ethylthioethyl-N-[N′,N′-(2′-Diethylthioethylamino)-5′-methyl-Phenoxyethyl]-2-Methoxy Aniline (EDPMA) as receptor, was developed and applied successfully to image Hg2+ in living cells. It demonstrates high selectivity and sensitivity for sensing Hg2+ with about 51-fold enhancement in aqueous solution, with a characteristic emission band of fluorescein at 539 nm.