A phenothiazine-based colorimetric chemodosimeter for the rapid detection of cyanide anions in organic and aqueous media

A novel, phenothiazine-based chemodosimeteric probe PCP 1 has been developed and studied as a cyanide selective indicator in organic and aqueous media. Complete colour bleaching was observed due to nucleophilic addition of cyanide to the tricyanovinyl moiety of PCP 1, which results in the disruption of the extended conjugate and turn-off the intramolecular charge transfer process.