Naphthalimide‐based fluorescent probe for Hg2+ detection and imaging in living cells and zebrafish

Abstract A simple naphthalimide‐based fluorescent probe was designed and synthesized for the determination of mercury ion (Hg 2+ ). The probe showed a noticeable fluorescence quenching response for Hg 2+ . When added with Hg 2+ , the fluorescence intensity of the probe at 560 nm was remarkably decreased with the color changed from yellow to colorless under ultraviolet (UV) light. The probe had a notable selectivity and sensitivity for Hg 2+ and displayed an excellent sensing performance when detecting Hg 2+ at low concentration (19.5 nM). The binding phenomenon between the probe and Hg 2+ was identified by Job's method and high‐resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). Moreover, the probe was not only utilized to identify Hg 2+ in real samples with satisfactory results (92.00%–110.00%) but also was successfully used for bioimaging in cells and zebrafish. The recognition mechanism has been verified by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) for the first time. All the results showed that the probe could be used as a potent useful tool for detection of Hg 2+ .