Molecule Created By Indiana University Able To Detect M

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The molecule detects little quantities of cyanide in samples of water and glows under ultraviolet or “black” light.

It’s created by Indiana University Bloomington. Though it has not hit the market yet, it can trace cyanide before the toxicity threshold as established by WHO.

The modular structure of the designer molecule further makes it unique. This is what Dongwhan Lee, the IU Bloomington chemist says about the tool, "This is the first system that works in water at normal pH levels and can be modified at will to enhance its reactivity." Lee led the research. He adds, "We are now looking at how to make the detector more sensitive."

He explains it further, "This is an essentially three-component chemical device with an activator, a receptor, and a reporter module." He continues, "These three components we can change at will in the future, either to make the detector more sensitive, or have it detect an entirely different toxin by sending out signals as different colors of light. Because of the structure's modularity, a change in one of the three components doesn't really affect the others." The product is inert all the time except when it detects cyanide. A 90 mg dose or .003 ounces of cyanide is fatal to a human weighing 60 kg, or 132 pounds).

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, daily exposure to cyanide (.36 mg) may result in minor, but chronic health problems in individuals weighing 60 kg. The threshold has been set around .72 mg per day for a 60 kg body. However Lee hopes that once the detector system develops and evolves further, people may be safeguarded against drinking water that’s laced with cyanide.

To talk to Lee, please contact David Bricker, University Communications,