Phenothiazine-aminothiourea-Hg(II) ensemble-based fluorescence turn-on toward iodide in aqueous media and imaging application in live cells

A phenothiazine-aminothiourea-based open chemosensor (P1) has been designed and synthesized, which exhibits high selectivity toward Hg2+ by forming a 1:1 complex. In its Hg2+ ensemble, it is reported as a highly sensitive and selective probe for the detection of iodide based on the displacement approach in aqueous solution. The addition of iodide to a solution of phenothiazine-aminothiourea-Hg2+ ensemble resulted in a rapid and remarkable fluorescence off-on (emission at 565 nm). The practical use of an 'ensemble' was demonstrated by its application to the detection of iodide in the living cells. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.