New advances in fluorogenic anion chemosensors

The development of anion chemosensors is an area of recent interest. We make here a comprehensive review of new advances on anion chemosensing, reported in the literature during the year 2004. The review follows a classification of the sensing systems based on design principles. It comprises: the binding site-signalling subunit approach, the displacement approach and the use of fluoro-chemodosimeters. The first two approximations are based on the use of a suitable anion coordination site coupled with a signalling unit which signals the anion coordination process via changes in its fluorescence behaviour. The two basic subunits are covalently linked in the binding site-signalling subunit approach and not in the displacement approach. In both approaches the fluorescence variation is reversible. The third way to the development of fluorogenic chemosensors is the use of chemodosimeters (also called reagents or reactands) that work usually through irreversible chemical reactions coupled with drastic changes in the fluorescence emission behaviour.