A off–on green fluorescent chemosensor for cyanide based on a hybrid coumarin–hemicyanine dye and its bioimaging

Abstract

Herein a cyanide detector has been synthesized and evaluated by fluorescent and UV–vis method. Among the analytes, only CN− could enhance the fluorescence intensity and induce a blue shift of the UV–vis spectra, which suggested that the system was a highly selective probe for CN−. The result was attributed to the fact that the probe exhibited an intramolecular charge transfer (ICT), because CN− nucleophilic addition at the polarized CN bond of probe blocked ICT process in HEPES (10mmol/L, pH 9.3)/CH3OH (v/v, 1:1). The detection limit of probe for CN− was found to be 0.066μmol/L. Furthermore, the probe can be used to bioimaging.