Novel quinoxalinophenanthrophenazine-based molecules as sensors for anions: synthesis and binding investigations

The design and synthesis of two novel quinoxalinophenanthrophenazine-based anion sensors are reported. Binding studies of these sensors with an array of mono- and polyatomic anions using UV–vis, fluorescence, and NMR titrations have shown 1:1 and 1:2 sensor-to-anion ratios. Binding constants were calculated for anions, which exhibited high affinity for the sensors, including acetate, benzoate, cyanide, and fluoride ions.