A phenolic Schiff base for highly selective sensing of fluoride and cyanide via different channels

A chemosensor based on phenolic Schiff base bearing a pyrene group (sensor 1) has been synthesized and demonstrated. Sensor 1 showed a highly selective colorimetric response to fluoride anions based on a deprotonation process and fluorescent response to cyanide anions (606-fold fluorescence quantum yield enhancement) based on a cyclization process. Moreover, the cyclization of phenolic Schiff bases induced by cyanide could be used as a new way to synthesize 2-substituted benzoxazoles.