Helical Aromatic Foldamers Functioning as a Fluorescence Turn-on Probe for Anions

• DOI: 10.1021/acs.orglett.6b02156
• Publication Date: 2016-08-12T15:13:32Z
• Authors: Hae-Geun Jeon; Han Bit Jang; Philjae Kang; Ye Rin Choi; Junyoung Kim; Ji Hyun Lee; Moon-Gun Choi; Kyu-Sung Jeong
• Keywords: 01 natural sciences; 0104 chemical sciences

Indolocarbazole-pyridine hybrid foldamers are strongly fluorescent in an extended random conformation, but the fluorescence is completely quenched upon folding to a helical conformation due to the compact stacking between aryl planes in the backbone. Anion binding disturbs the helical conformation, thus regenerating the fluorescence of the foldamers. This unique property has been utilized to develop a fluorescence turn-on probe for anions such as sulfate and fluoride.