A Turn-On Fluorescence Chemosensor for Cyanide in Aqueous Media Based on a Nucleophilic Addition Reaction

We synthesized a new cyanide （CN-） chemosensor CX based on a nucleophilic addition reaction prompted by cyanide ion, which could be used for highly selective and sensitive fluorescence turn-on detection of cyanide in aqueous media. The CX showed selective fluorescence recognition for CN-, the miscellaneous competitive anions （F-, Cl-, Br-, I-, AcO-, H2PO4, HSO4, ClO4, S2-, PO4^3-, CO3^2- and SCN- ） did not lead to any significant interference. The detection limit of the sensor towards CN is 1.15 × 10^-7 mol.L- 1. The sensor has been successfully applied to estimate the cyanide ion in seeds of cherries. Test strips based on CX were fabricated, which could be used as a convenient and efficient CN test kit to detect CN in aqueous solution for ＂in-the-field＂ measurement.