Selective detection of Hg2+ in the microenvironment of double-stranded DNA with an intercalator crown-ether conjugate.

9-[2-(1,4-Dioxa-7,13-dithia-10-azacyclopentadecyl)phenyl]amino-benzo[b]quinolizinium enables the unambiguous fluorimetric and polarimetric detection of Hg(2+) in the close proximity of double-stranded nucleic acids without interfering background signals from the complexes of this compound with Hg(2+) or DNA alone.