Seul-Bi Kim and Dong-Gyu Cho, Inha University, Incheon, Korea, developed a simple fluorescent indicator that undergoes a new type of reaction only in the presence of Hg^II. The Hg^II-detection mechanism was verified by using LC-MS and NMR techniques. The reaction involves an Hg-selective hydrolysis/decarboxylation sequence, which has not been used for any metal detection. The present fluorescent indicator requires minimal synthesis effort in a single step.

Overall, this simple compound synthesized in a single step can achieve higher selectivity and sensitivity toward Hg^II over other metal ions.

• Hg^II-Selective Fluorescent Indicator: One-Step Synthesis,
  Seul-Bi Kim, Dong-Gyu Cho,
  Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2012.
  DOI: 10.1002/ejoc.201200126