A naphtholic Schiff base for highly selective sensing of cyanide via different channels in aqueous solution

A simple CN- sensor bearing a naphthol and an imine group was designed and synthesized, which showed both a colorimetric and a fluorescence turn-on response for cyanide ions in aqueous solution. The probe shows an immediate visible change in color from yellow to orange which then becomes colorless followed by a final change to pink, when cyanide is added; these color changes can be readily observed visually. The mechanism of the reaction of the probe with the cyanide ion was established by using H-1 NMR and FT-IR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. Moreover, test strips based on the sensor were fabricated, which could act as a convenient and efficient CN- test kit. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.