Advances in mercury ion sensing using BODIPY-based compounds: a sexennial update

Pollution from mercury ions (Hg²⁺) continues to pose a significant threat to the environment and public health because of its extreme toxicity and bioaccumulative nature. BODIPY-based compounds are emerging as strong candidates for creating selective and sensitive chemosensors for mercury ion detection. Their structural tunability facilitates the introduction of various functional groups, improving their binding affinity and specificity toward mercury ions. This review elucidates various sensing mechanisms and provides comprehensive insights into the performance of these sensors, particularly with regard to selectivity, sensitivity, and detection limits. The synthetic routes for synthesizing the chemosensors are mentioned in detail. Given their reliability and flexibility, BODIPY-based sensors are poised to make significant contributions in the fields of both sensors and analytical chemistry.