A synthetic ditryptophan conjugate that rescues bacteria from mercury toxicity through complexation

The synthesis of ditryptophan–pyridine conjugates and their binding to mercury ions is described. Conjugate 3 shows an excellent ability to sequester mercury from solution and rescue bacterial growth in a concentration-dependent survival assay. It is proposed that such compounds, composed primarily of bioessential/biodegradable components, could be potentially used as sequestrating agents for the removal of Hg(II) ions in detoxification strategies.