title: A coumarin-thiourea conjugate as a fluorescent probe for Hg(II) in aqueous media with a broad pH range 2-12.
abstract: A coumarin-thiourea conjugate (1) behaves as a highly selective fluorescent probe for Hg(2+) in aqueous media. The probe 1 shows selective and quantitative fluorescence decrease upon Hg(2+) addition in aqueous media with a broad pH range, 2-12. Ab initio molecular orbital calculations reveal that the fluorescence decrease of 1 upon Hg(2+) addition is promoted by a Hg(2+)-induced desulfurization of the thiourea moiety, leading to a decrease in an intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) character of the excited-state coumarin moiety.
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Solar Energy Chemistry, and Division of Chemical Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, Toyonaka, 560-8531, Japan. shiraish@cheng.es.osaka-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Yasuhiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shiraishi
authors.forename: Shigehiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sumiya
authors.forename: Takayuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hirai