Carbon dots (CDs) with multi-color emissive properties and a high photoluminescent quantum yield (PLQY) have attracted great attention recently due to their potential applications in chemical, environmental, biological and photo-electronic fields. Solvent-dependent effect in photoluminescence provides a facial and effective approach to tune the emission of CDs. In this study, green emissive nitrogen-doped carbon dots (N-CDs) are synthesized from p-hydroquinone and ethylenediamine through a simple hydrothermal method. The as-prepared N-CDs possess a robust excitation-independent green luminescence and a high PLQY of up to 15.9％. Further spectroscopic characterization indicates that the high PLQY is achieved by the balance of nitrogen doping states and the surface passivation extent in CDs. The N-CDs also exhibit solvent-dependent multi-color emissive property and distinct PLQY in different solvents (the maximum can reach up to 25.3％). Furthermore, the as-prepared N-CDs are applied asfluorescence probes to detect acetone and H2O2 in water. This method has exhibited a low detection limit of acetone (less than 0.1％) and a quick and linear response to the H2O2 with the concentration from 0 to 120μmol/L. This work broadens the knowledge of applying CDs as probes in the bio and chemical sensingfields.