The Detection of Cyanide by a Ruthenium(II)-Copper(II) Heterobimetallic Chemodosimetric Ensemble

Abstract

The current cyanide detection processes used in industry are time consuming and imprecise. There are only a few chemodosimeters that can specifically detect cyanide. A Ru(II)- Cu(II) metal complex was synthesized in order to increase effectiveness, accuracy, and efficiency of cyanide detection. This metal complex is more selective than the previous methods, as it is the only trinuclear complex synthesized for the purpose of cyanide detection and has been proven to only produce a color change in reaction with cyanide anions. The Ru(tbubpy)(CN)4 solution was analyzed via spectroscopic titration to determine the lowest concentration of cyanide that can be detected. In the presence of cyanide, the Ru(II)-Cu(II) complex reacted to form Ru(tbubpy)(CN)4 and Cu(dien)(L)2, which produced a noticeable color change from green to orange. The current detection limits of cyanide are low, and this Ru(II)-Cu(II) can detect lower concentrations of cyanide. This new chemodosimetric ensemble can serve as a stepping stone for the future development or other anion sensors.