Phosphorescent PET (photoinduced electron transfer) sensors: prototypical examples for proton monitoring and a ‘message in a bottle’ enhancement strategy with cyclodextrins

Abstract

The bromonaphthalene derivatives 1–4 with proximal but non-adjacent tertiary amine groups show various degrees of pH-controlled phosphorescence in the millisecond range in aqueous solution: β- and γ-cyclodextrins cause notable enhancements in the emissions of some cases.