Unusual seedless approach to gold nanoparticle synthesis: application to selective rapid naked eye detection of mercury( ii )

We report a novel seedless Hg(2+)-induced synthetic approach for the preparation of gold nanostructures. This protocol is demonstrated for the highly selective and sensitive naked eye detection of Hg(2+) based on the high affinity metallophilic Hg(2+)-Au(+) interaction. The response time upon exposure to Hg(2+) is almost instantaneous.