A highly selective fluorescent probe for in vitro and in vivo detection of Hg(2+) .

In this paper, a simple fluorescent probe, rhodamine B derivatives (RS), was designed and prepared for sensitive detection of Hg(2+) in CH3CN/H2O (5/5, v/v). RS exhibits high selectivity and sensitivity toward Hg(2+) over other common metal ions, displaying a significant color change from colorless to pink in the presence of Hg(2+). The fluorescence responses remain stable over a broad pH range (5.0 to 9.0) and are suitable for detection under physiological conditions. Experimental results of HeLa cells and zebrafish show that RS is cell and organism permeable. We also demonstrate the acquisition of images of Hg(2+) in HeLa cells and zebrafish by using a simple fluorescence confocal imaging technique.