An Easily Synthesized Fluorescent Probe with Nanomolar Sensitive for Detection of Hg 2+ via a Reaction-Based Mechanism and Its Application in Tap Water, Fish, Shrimp, Soil Samples, and Living Cells

Mercury ion (Hg²⁺) is a ubiquitous heavy metal pollutant that poses health risks through its environmental transport and accumulation in living organisms. To address this, we designed and constructed a chemically reactive probe, BTS, capable of sensitively and selectively detecting Hg²⁺. The probe displayed excellent analytical performance, including high selectivity, a fast response time (120 s), and a low detection limit (3.9 nM). Mechanistic studies, utilizing <sup>1</su