A rational designed fluorescent and colorimetric dual-channel sensor for cyanide anion based on the PET effect in aqueous medium

A fluorescent and colorimetric sensor based on naphtho[2,1-b]furan-2-carbohydrazide and 2-hydroxy-1-naphthaldehyde (Q1-1) was developed via straightforward reaction from inexpensive reagents. It exhibited rapid response, superb selectivity, and swift sensitivity toward CN- based on its promising photo-induced electron transfer (PET) feature. Q1-1 not only can sense CN- through sharp colorimetric and selective turn-on fluorescence dual-channel responses in EtOH/H2O (7:3, v/v) HEPES solution, but also have strong anti-interference toward other common anions, especially the basic anions such as F-, AcO-, H2PO4- and SCN-. Notably, this sensor was successfully applied to detect CN- in food samples, which proves a very simple and selective platform for on-site monitoring of CN- in agriculture samples. In addition, the test strips based on Q1-1 were fabricated, which could act as convenient and efficient CN- test kits. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.