Fluorogenic mercury ion sensor based on pyrene-amino mercapto thiadiazole unit

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Biochemistry
• Materials Science

Background:

• Mercury ions (Hg²⁺) pose significant environmental and health risks.
• Sensitive and selective detection methods for Hg²⁺ are crucial for monitoring and remediation.
• Existing detection methods may lack sensitivity, selectivity, or applicability in biological systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel fluorogenic probe for the selective and sensitive determination of Hg²⁺.
• To explore the probe's utility in bioimaging applications within living cells.
• To investigate the sensing mechanism and performance characteristics of the developed probe.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis and characterization of the pyrene-amino mercapto thiadiazole (PYAMT) probe.
• Spectroscopic analysis (absorption and emission) of the probe's response to Hg²⁺.
• Evaluation of selectivity against other metal ions and determination of the limit of detection.
• Application in real water samples and live cell bioimaging.

Main Results:

• The PYAMT probe exhibited significant fluorescence quenching (96%) upon binding with Hg²⁺.
• The detection limit for Hg²⁺ was as low as 0.35nM, with a wide linear range (100nM to 2.5μM).
• The probe demonstrated high selectivity for Hg²⁺ over other metal ions and was successfully applied in water samples and live cell imaging.

Conclusions:

• The PYAMT probe provides a highly selective and sensitive method for Hg²⁺ detection.
• Its fluorescence quenching mechanism is attributed to the heavy atom effect and electron transfer.
• The probe is suitable for environmental monitoring and bioimaging of Hg²⁺ in living systems.