Research progress of reactive mercury ions organic small-molecule chemodosimeters containing sulfur in the last decade

The environmental pollution aspect, especially pollution of mercury ions (Hg 2+ ), has become a worldwide dilemma as it poses a serious risk to the health of organisms and the environment. Even low concentrations of Hg 2+ may be harmful to human well-being and give rise to a series of related diseases. Therefore, the methods for real-time, accurate, and low-cost detection of Hg 2+ have high medical and practical value. Among the many analytical methods for detecting Hg 2+, chemodosimeters stand out in terms of their characteristics of being extremely specific, low-cost, user-friendly, and in-situ real-time detection. In recent years, researchers have been working on the development of reactive organic small-molecule chemodosimeters for the determination of Hg 2+ in the environment and living organisms. These chemodosimeters selectively detect Hg 2+ through reactive recognition groups, so the selection of recognition groups is very important. Compared with other recognition groups, sulfur-containing recognition groups are often selected as recognition groups for Hg 2+ detection because of their high selectivity, good reactivity, and excellent photophysical regulatory performance. Unfortunately, the reactive mercury ions organic small-molecule chemodosimeters containing sulfur recognition groups have not been summarized systematically. Therefore, the paper reviews the progress of research of reactive mercury ions organic small-molecule chemodosimeters containing sulfur recognition groups in the past decade, and introduces the response mechanism, performance, and practical application of these chemodosimeters in greater depth. We aim the present review to encourage researchers to design and synthesize more excellent organic small-molecule chemodosimeters for Hg 2+ assays, contributing to their development and prevention of Hg 2+ pollution.