A robust PET-based chiral Schiff base molecular probe for recognition of Hg 2+ and Pb 2+ and its application in live cell imaging

A new salen-based chiral Schiff base (H 2 L) has been synthesized and acts as a fluorescent sensor that can detect Hg 2+ and Pb 2+ ions in real water samples and intracellularly in the HeLa cells.