A fluorescence turn-on probe for a catalytic amount of cyanides through the cyanide-mediated cinnamate-to-coumarin transformation

We report a latent fluorescence probe based on 2-hydroxycinnamate for the selective and senstive detection of cyanide. The probe underwent a rapid cyanide-catalyzed cinamate-to-coumarin transformation reaction and displayed strong fluorescence selectively to the cyanide anion over other various anions with a micromolar limit of detection (LOD = 1.3 μM) in 5% water-acetonitrile solvent, which was easily detectable under a portable UV spectroscope.