A newly
designed cyanide-selective chemosensor based on chromone
containing benzothiazole groups [3-(2,3-dihydro-benzothiazol-2-yl)-chromen-4-one
(DBTC)] was synthesized and structurally characterized
by physico-chemical, spectroscopic, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction
analyses. The compound DBTC can detect cyanide anions
based on nucleophilic addition as low as 5.76 nM in dimethyl sulfoxide–N-(2-hydroxyethyl)piperazine-N′-ethanesulfonic
acid buffer (20 mM, pH 7.4) (v/v = 1:3). The binding mode between
receptor DBTC and cyanide nucleophile has also been demonstrated
by experimental studies using various spectroscopic tools and theoretical
studies, and the experimental work has also been verified by characterizing
one supporting compound of similar probable structure of the final
product formed between DBTC and cyanide ion (DBTC–CN compound) by single-crystal X-ray analysis for detailed structural
analyses. In theoretical study, density functional theory procedures
have been used to calculate the molecular structure and the calculation
of the Fukui function for evaluation of the electrophilic properties
of each individual acceptor atom. Furthermore, the efficacy of the
probe (DBTC) to detect the distribution of CN– ions in living cells has been checked by acquiring the fluorescence
image using a confocal microscope. Notably, the paper strips with DBTC were prepared, and these could serve as efficient and
suitable CN– test kits successfully.