Protonation activates anion binding and alters binding selectivity in new inherently fluorescent 2,6-bis(2-anilinoethynyl)pyridine bisureas

Abstract

A new class of 2,6-bis(2-anilinoethynyl)pyridine-based bisureas forms 1 : 1 complexes with halides; protonation enhances binding by over one order of magnitude, alters the binding selectivity, and provides a colorimetric indication of anion binding.