Rational design of a water-soluble chemodosimeter for highly selective cyanide detection

Area of Science:

• Chemical Sensors
• Analytical Chemistry
• Materials Science

Background:

• Cyanide contamination poses significant environmental and health risks.
• Development of sensitive and selective cyanide detection methods is crucial.
• Existing methods may lack water solubility or on-site applicability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize a novel polyethylene glycol (PEG)-modified aniline-indandione (AI) chemodosimeter.
• To evaluate the performance of the AI chemodosimeter for cyanide detection in various states.
• To develop a practical, paper-based sensor for on-site cyanide analysis.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of a PEG-modified aniline-indandione conjugate (AI).
• Spectroscopic analysis (colorimetric and fluorometric) of AI response to cyanide.
• Determination of the limit of detection (LOD) for cyanide.
• Fabrication and testing of paper-based test strips incorporating AI.

Main Results:

• The synthesized PEGylated AI chemodosimeter exhibits high water solubility and fluorescence quantum yield.
• AI demonstrates significant color and fluorescence changes upon exposure to cyanide via nucleophilic addition.
• The limit of detection (LOD) for cyanide by AI is 2.3 × 10^-7 M, surpassing WHO guidelines.
• Paper-based test strips enable fast, quantitative, and on-site cyanide detection.

Conclusions:

• The PEG-modified AI chemodosimeter is a highly effective tool for selective cyanide detection.
• The developed paper-based sensor offers a practical and affordable solution for on-site cyanide monitoring.
• This study presents a valuable molecular design strategy for creating water-soluble chemosensors.