This tool by IIT Guwahati can detect cyanide in water
19 May 2025

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati have developed a new fluorescent sensor that can detect cyanide in water and human cells.

The innovative device uses UV light to detect the presence of cyanide, changing color and emitting bright fluorescence when it does.

This cost-effective technology could prove useful for environmental monitoring as well as forensic analysis.

It can be used in various applications
Versatile tool

The fluorescent sensor developed by IIT Guwahati's research team can be used in a variety of settings.

These include river water, tap water, paper strips, and live cell imaging.

Professor G. Krishnamoorthy from the Department of Chemistry led this project and emphasized its versatility, stating that it works not only in lab solutions but also in river and tap water samples with an accuracy of 75-93%.

Understanding the working of the fluorescent sensor
Technical details

Fluorescent chemosensors are basically chemicals that glow when they come in contact with certain substances.

The IIT Guwahati team's sensor is based on a compound called 2-(4'-diethylamino-2'-hydroxyphenyl)-1H-imidazo-[4,5-b]pyridine.

Under UV light, the compound gives weak blue fluorescence which turns into a brighter cyan color in the presence of cyanide, due to a chemical change in the molecule.

The reaction is highly specific to cyanide, particularly in water.

Sensor could be the basis for smart devices
Future prospects

The research team has also shown that this molecular sensor could work like a simple logic gate, a fundamental component of digital electronics.

This indicates possible future use in creating smart, sensor-based electronic devices that can detect harmful chemicals like cyanide in real-time.

The study describing these findings has been published in Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy.