A coumarin-based fluorescent probe for Hg2+ and Ag+ with an N′-acetylthioureido group as a fluorescence switch

For detection of Hg2+ and Ag+, we have developed a coumarin-based probe with an N′-acetylthioureido group as a novel fluorescence switch, in which the hydrogen bond formation between the N-hydrogen and the acetyl O atom markedly increases the susceptibility of the probe toward desulfurization by Hg2+ and Ag+.