Triphenylamine-based novel PET sensors in selective recognition of dicarboxylic acids

The triphenylamine-based chemosensors 1 and 2 have been designed and synthesized, for the first time, for the selective recognition of dicarboxylic acids. Carboxylic acid binding takes place through charge neutral pyridyl amide receptor sites with concomitant quenching of fluorescence of the triphenylamine moiety. The bindings were examined using 1H NMR, fluorescence and UV–vis spectroscopic methods. The receptor 1 was found to be selective for glutaric and adipic acids and the macrocycle 2 was specific for 2,2-dimethylmalonic acid.