Turn-on fluorogenic probes for the selective and quantitative detection of the cyanide anion from natural sources.

We report new indene derivatives that are good fluorogenic probes for the cyanide anion, one of which is a highly selective and sensitive fluorogenic probe for the fluorescent detection--as well as reliable quantification--of the cyanide anion in water or buffer, with a 10(3)-fold increase of fluorescence and low detection limit. It is therefore useful for the quantification of natural cyanide from aqueous extracts of green almond seeds, thus proving that the system is suitable for fast detection and quantification of cyanide from natural sources.