Fluorescent chemosensors based upon macrocyclic polyamines containing aromatic sectors

The basicity and the coordination properties of several polyamine macrocycles containing phenanthroline or dipyridine moieties as integral part of the cyclic framework are reported. The ligands behaves as fluorescent chemosensors for both H+ and metal ions. The use of such ligands in the preparation of simple molecular machines, of chemosensors for metallohexacyanide anions, and of catalysts for photoinduced redox reactions is also described. The paper is a brief review of recent works performed by the authors.