Fluorescence turn-on chemosensor for Hg2+ based on a rhodamine derivative and its application in bioimaging

A fluorescence turn-on chemosensor based on rhodamine B derivative (FD10) has been developed as a highly sensitive chemosensor for Hg2+. A prominent fluorescence enhancement was measured in the presence of Hg2+, which was in agreement with the changes in the absorption spectrum. Furthermore, by means of laser scanning fluorescence microscopy experiments, it was demonstrated that FD10 was cell-permeable and could be used as a fluorescent probe for monitoring Hg2+ in living cells.