[2]Pseudorotaxane-Based Supramolecular Optical Indicator for the Visual Detection of Cellular Cyanide Excretion.

Cyanide is extremely hazardous to living organisms and the environment. Owing to its wide range of applications and high toxicity, the development of functional materials for cyanide detection and sensing is highly desirable. Host-guest complexation between bis(p-phenylene)-34-crown-10 H and N-methylacridinium salt G remarkably decreases the detection limit for cyanide anions compared with that of the guest itself. The [2]pseudorotaxane selectively recognizes the cyanide anion with high optical sensitivity as a result of the nucleophilic addition of the cyanide anion at the 9-position of G. The host-guest complexation is further incorporated into supramolecular materials for the visual detection of cyanide anions, especially the detection of cellular cyanide excretion with a detection limit of 0.6 mu m. This supramolecular method provides an extremely distinct strategy for the visual detection of cyanide anions.