Coupling selectivity with sensitivity in an integrated chemosensor framework: design of a Hg(2+)-responsive probe, operating above 500 nm.

For the highly selective and sensitive sensing of Hg2+ in water, a new design concept was realized where the selectivity of the probe's binding site is amplified by electronic properties of the chromophore. The molecular architecture of this phenoxazinone-type sensor molecule combines two potential coordination sites via an amino-keto conjugative backbone. These structural prerequisites allow only the most preferred mercuric ion to bind to the dithia dioxa monoaza crown unit, while other heavy, transition, and main group metal ions as well as protons are trapped at the keto group, inducing opposite spectral effects due to interaction with either the donor (Hg2+) or the acceptor group (other cations) of the probe. Besides these advantageous features, the probe operates well within the visible range of the spectrum and displays rather intense molar absorptivities as well as fluorescence quantum yields.