A Highly Selective and Non-Reaction Based Chemosensor for the Detection of Hg²⁺ Ions Using a Luminescent Iridium(III) Complex

We report herein a novel luminescent iridium(III) complex with two hydrophobic carbon chains as a non-reaction based chemosensor for the detection of Hg2+ ions in aqueous solution (<0.002% of organic solvent attributed to the probe solution). Upon the addition of Hg2+ ions, the emission intensity of the complex was significantly enhanced and this change could be monitored by the naked eye under UV irradiation. The iridium(III) complex shows high specificity for Hg2+ ions over eighteen other cations. The system is capable of detecting micromolar levels of Hg2+ ions, which is within the range of many chemical systems.