A novel reaction-based colorimetric and ratiometric fluorescent sensor for cyanide anion with a large emission shift and high selectivity.

A hybrid carbazole-hemicyanine dye (Cac) has been developed as a novel colorimetric and ratiometric fluorescent sensor for cyanide detection. Upon treatment with cyanide, Cac displayed a remarkable fluorescence ratiometric response, with the emission wavelength displaying a very large emission shift (214 nm). The detection of cyanide was performed via the nucleophilic addition of cyanide anion to the indolium group of the sensor, which resulted in the blocking of the intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) process in the sensor, inducing a ratiometric fluorescence change and simultaneously an obvious color change. Furthermore, competitive anions did not showed any significant changes both in color and emission intensity ratio (I381/I595), indicating the high selectivity of the sensor to CN(-).