A turn-on chemosensor for Hg2+ in aqueous media and its application in MCT imaging in living cells

A turn-on chemosensor L1, which exhibits high selectivity and sensitivity toward Hg2+ over other common metal ions in aqueous media under a physiological pH window via a 1:1 binding mode, had been synthesized and characterized. L1 provides good fluorescent imaging of Hg2+ in living cells. Particularly, we adopted the micro computed tomography (MCT) technology, successfully demonstrating the method of Hg2+ sensing by L1 in cell lines, also the cell permeability of L1 and its imaging position in the cells.