Pyrano[3,2-]julolidin-2-ones: a novel class of fluorescent probes for ratiometric detection and imaging of Hg in live cancer cells

A novel pyrano[3,2- c ]julolidin-2-one based fluorescent molecular rotor PYJO4 has been designed and developed for selective ratiometric detection, quantification and imaging of intracellular Hg 2+ in live cells. The probe operates via a Twisted Intramolecular Charge Transfer (TICT) mechanism and exhibits high selectivity and sensitivity up to 1.14 ppb. PYJO4 coated test strips can be used to detect mercury ions in contaminated water. A novel pyrano[3,2- c ]julolidin-2-one based fluorescent molecular rotor PYJO4 has been designed and developed for selective ratiometric detection, quantification and imaging of intracellular Hg 2+ in live cells.