| Summary: | A small organic molecule <b>P</b> was synthesized and characterized as a fluorometric and colorimetric dual-modal probe for Hg<sup>2+</sup>. The sensing characteristics of the proposed probe for Hg<sup>2+</sup> were studied in detail. A fluorescent enhancing property at 583 nm (>30 fold) accompanied with a visible colorimetric change, from colorless to pink, was observed with the addition of Hg<sup>2+</sup> to <b>P</b> in an ethanol-water solution (8:2, <i>v</i>/<i>v</i>, 20 mM HEPES, pH 7.0), which would be helpful to fabricate Hg<sup>2+</sup>-selective probes with “naked-eye” and fluorescent detection. Meanwhile, cellular experimental results demonstrated its low cytotoxicity and good biocompatibility, and the application of <b>P</b> for imaging of Hg<sup>2+</sup> in living cells was satisfactory.
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