A novel dual-channel probe based on acylhydrazone derivative for detection of CN−and its applicability

We developed a novel dual-channel sensor (FA) applied for selectively detecting the CN−in DMSO/H2O (3:7, v/v) solutions. The selectivity and sensitivity of sensor FA for anions sensing were investigated by measuring the photophysical properties. Those observations suggested that FA can display the preferable sensitivity to CN−ions with “turn-on” fluorescent response and distinct color variation in the visible light and have strong anti-interference toward other common anions in colorimetric and fluorescent reaction. The colorimetric and fluorescence detection limit of CN−ion was measured to be 1.46 × 10−7M and 2.37 × 10−8M, respectively. The reaction mechanism of the probe has been studied by 1H NMR titration and DFT theoretical calculations. In addition, the test strips were prepared, which is verified to be a convenient and efficient test kit for detecting CN−by naked-eyes in the actual sample. Finally, this sensor was successfully applied to detecting CN−in food samples.