Selective fluorescence sensing of cyanide with an o-(carboxamido)trifluoroacetophenone fused with a cyano-1,2-diphenylethylene fluorophore

A novel fluorescence probe has been synthesized, which consists of o-(carboxamido)trifluoroacetophenone moiety as the recognition element and cyano-1,2-diphenylethylene moiety as the signaling unit. Fluorescence titrations of the probe with anions such as F-, Cl-, I-, CN-, SCN-, AcO-, H2PO4-, HSO4-, and ClO4- as their BU4N+ salts in acetonitrile show that CN- is the most efficient quencher, AcO- and F- follow it, and other anions show little changes. In an aqueous medium, MeOH-water (9:1), the probe shows fluorescence quenching only toward cyanide and no changes toward the other anions. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.