title: Reaction-based colorimetric cyanide chemosensors: rapid naked-eye detection and high selectivity.
abstract: Taking advantages of both the well-known azobenzene structure and the special nucleophilicity of cyanide toward the acceptor moiety, a new ratiometric colorimetric chemodosimeter (Azo-1) toward cyanide anion was designed and synthesized by using intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) as a signaling mechanism. Upon the addition of CN(-) anion, the probe displayed apparent color changes from deep red to light yellow, which could be observed by naked eyes. With the aid of the UV-vis spectrometer, the detection limit could be as low as 1.1 μM. The probe possessed high selectivity for cyanide with respect to other common anions. In addition, Azo-1 could serve as practical colorimetric probe for "in-the-field" measurements that would not require any additional equipment by virtue of "dip-sticks" approach.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Hubei Key Laboratory on Organic and Polymeric Opto-Electronic Materials, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: Xiaohong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Yue
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Jingui
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.forename: Zhen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000838:Anions / Q000737:chemistry; D003124:Colorimetry / Q000379:methods*; D003486:Cyanides / Q000737:chemistry*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013056:Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D000838:Anions; D003486:Cyanides