Bispyrenylalkane chemosensor for the naked-eye detection of nitro-explosives

Pyrene-based compounds have a great potential as fluorescent chemosensors for various analytes including common nitro-explosives, such as 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT). Compounds having two pyrene units in one molecule, such as bispyrenylalkanes, are able to form stable, bright emissive in a visual wavelength region excimers both in non-polar and polar environments. In this work we wish to report that in non-polar solvents the excimer has poor chemosensing properties while in aqueous solutions it provides significant “turn-off” fluorescence response to TNT in the sub-nanomolar concentrations.