Gas chromatography-mass spectrometric identification of cyanide using a nucleophilic substitution based derivatization with S-phenyl benzenethiosulfonate

Spectral and theoretical analysis of derivatives of 1,2,3,3-tetramethyl-3H-indolium iodide (TMI), a highly selective derivatization reagent of cyanide, and their utility for the analysis of cyanide concentrations in beverages

We develop a specific derivatization gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method for cyanide using 1,2,3,3-tetramethyl-3H-indium iodide as the derivatization reagent. The derivative compounds were synthesized and characterized using 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), 13C NMR, and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The high selectivity of this derivatization for cyanide is supported by calculations and activation energy comparisons. We applied this method to pure water, green tea, orange juice, coffee cafe au lait, and milk. Derivatization was performed by diluting 20 μL of sample solution with 0.1 M NaOH and adding 100 μL of saturated borax solution and 100 μL of 8 mM TMI solution, each drink was completed in 5 min at room temperature, and selected ion (m/z = 200) monitoring analysis was linear (R2 > 0.998) at 0.15 to 15 μM, with detection limits of 4-11 μM were shown. This method is expected to be widely used in forensic toxicology analysis and can be applied to beverages, which are forensically important field samples.

Fluorescent Sensor for Copper(II) and Cyanide Ions via the Complexation-Decomplexation Mechanism with Di(bissulfonamido)spirobifluorene

A novel spirobifluorene derivative bearing two bissulfonamido groups is successfully synthesized by Sonogashira coupling. This compound exhibits a strong fluorescence quenching by Cu(II) ion in a 50% mixture between acetonitrile and 20 mM pH 7.0 N-(2-hydroxyethyl)piperazine-N'-ethanesulfonic acid (HEPES) buffer with a detection limit of 98.2 nM. However, this sensor also shows ratiometric signal shifts from blue to yellow in the presence of Zn(II), Pb(II), and Hg(II) ions. The static quenching mechanism is verified by the signal reversibility using ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and the Stern-Volmer plots at varying temperatures. The Cu(II)-spirobifluorene complex shows a highly selective fluorescence enhancement upon the addition of CN- ion with the detection limit of 390 nM. The application of this complex for quantitative analysis of spiked CN- ion in real water samples resulted in good recoveries.