A Highly Sensitive Hybrid Colorimetric and Fluorometric Molecular Probe for Cyanide Sensing Based on a Subphthalocyanine Dye

A highly sensitive, selective colorimetric and fluorometric molecular probe based on a subphthalocyanine dye has been developed for cyanide‐anion determination in aqueous solution. It has also been shown that a carboxysubphthalocyanine derivative can be covalently anchored to transparent mesoporous nanocrystalline high‐surface‐area metal oxide films to detect low concentrations of cyanide anion in pure water with no interference from other anionic or cationic species. A highly sensitive, selective heterogeneous colorimetric probe for detecting cyanide and fluoride ions in water has been developed. The probe is based on the combination of a mesoporous nanocrystalline film and a subphthalocyanine dye (see figure). The presence of cyanide induces a dramatic decoloration of the film even in the presence of other anions.