A new cascade reaction-based colorimetric and fluorescence “turn on” dual-function probe for cyanide and hydrazine detection

Abstract

Abstract Selective detection of cyanide (CN−) and hydrazine (N2H4) are highly desirable owing to the highly toxic properties of these species. We report herein a new cascade reaction-based colorimetric and fluorescence “turn on” dual-function probe (HBTM-HC) for CN− and N2H4 detection with long wavelength emission (620\xa0nm) and a large Stokes shift (122\xa0nm). In DMSO/H2O (3/7, v/v, PBS 10\xa0mM, pH\xa0=\xa09.1) solution, HBTM-HC displays highly selective and sensitive detection of CN− and N2H4 with the assistance of masking agents (acetone was used to mask N2H4, and Fe2+ was used to mask CN−). The detection limits of HBTM-HC for CN− and N2H4 were calculated to be 1.38\xa0×\xa010−6\xa0M and 5.47\xa0×\xa010−6\xa0M, respectively. The sensing mechanisms for CN− and N2H4 were proved to undergo cascade reactions, which results in deprotection of levulinate group and releasing of compound HBTM. In addition, probe HBTM-HC has been successfully applied to fluorescence imaging of N2H4 in live MCF-7\xa0cells, detect CN− in sprouting potatoes and apple seeds, and detect CN− and N2H4 in real water samples with high recovery rates (92.0%–104.5%) and small relative standard deviations (≤7.15%).