Swift and quantitative naked-eye detection of cyanide

A chemodosimeter (1) based on dicyanovinyl with a strong intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) mechanism has been devised for the selective and sensitive detection of cyanide (CN−) in a tetrahydrofuran aqueous solution. In polar solvents, chemodosimeter 1 exhibits robust ICT-induced emission; however, in the solid state, its fluorescence weakens owing to the formation of molecular aggregates prompted by intermolecular π–π interactions. The colorimetric and ratiometric fluorescent changes observed in the chemodosimeter upon exposure to CN− result from the incorporation of CN− at the β-conjugated site of the dicyanovinyl moiety of chemodosimeter 1, effectively hindering the ICT process. This alteration is supported by 1H NMR titration experiments and density functional theory calculations, which corroborate the cyanide-induced ICT on–off switching mechanism. The detection limit of chemodosimeter 1 (5.8 × 10−7 M) for CN− falls below the maximum allowable level of cyanide in drinking water (1.9 × 10−6 M), as established by the World Health Organization. Test strips utilizing chemodosimeter 1 offer a potential solution for swift and quantitative naked-eye detection of CN− in real-time scenarios. Moreover, chemodosimeter 1 was effectively employed for detecting cyanide in actual environmental water samples.