Chemosensors with crown ether-based receptors

Abstract

The review highlights the rational design of crown ether-based optical chemosensors that are categorized according to the origin of the signaling unit as chromogenic, fluorogenic, photoswitchable, ambidentate and ditopic. The principal mechanisms that govern the properties of crown ether-based chemosensors of different types are considered and examples of the detection of alkali, alkali-earth, d-metal, lanthanide cations, anions and molecules are given. ©ARKAT-USA, Inc.