A highly selective fluorescent chemosensor for CN- based on a novel bis(salamo)-type tetraoxime ligand.

The optical properties of a novel chemosensor for cyanide anions based on a symmetric bis(salamo)-type ligand (H3L) were investigated by UV-Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy in MeOH/H2O (1:1 v/v) solution. Sensor H3L can selectively sense CN- based on prominent color changes among other anions. The chemosensor exhibits an apparent fluorescence enhancement at 482nm to CN- which because cyanide ions interact with CN bonds. Combining the corrected Benesi-Hildebrand formula, the binding constant of the formed host-guest complex was calculated as 2.42×105M-1. Meanwhile, the detection limit of the sensor toward CN- was 8.91×10-7M. It is worth noting that the designed sensor can be used for rapid detection of cyanide anions in basic pH range, and has great practical value.