Proton‐Controlled Switching of Luminescence in Lanthanide Complexes in Aqueous Solution: pH Sensors Based on Long‐Lived Emission

Abstract

The green luminescence of the terbium complex 1 is increased by a factor of 16 when the amino groups in the side chains are protonated. Because its luminescence has a lifetime of 0.62 ms, this complex can serve as an effective pH sensor in intrinsically fluorescent environments.