A triethylenetetramine bearing anthracene and benzophenone as a fluorescent molecular logic gate with either-or switchable dual logic functions.

Fluorescence behaviors of a triethylenetetramine bearing anthracene ( AN) and benzophenone ( BP) fragments at the respective ends, L1, have been studied in water, where effects of pH (H+) and metal cations on the emission properties have been studied in detail. L1 behaves as a fluorescent molecular logic gate driven by H+ (Input(1)) and metal cations (Input(2)) as input chemicals. The most notable feature of L1 is that this molecule expresses the "either-or" switchable dual logic functions. Operation of L1 with Cu2+ as Input(2) expresses the INHIBIT logic function, where a strong AN fluorescence appears only at pH 4 ( with H+) without Cu2+ [Input(1)(1)-Input(2)(0)]. In contrast, operations of L1 with all other metal cations as Input(2) express the TRANSFER logic function, where the presence of H+ allows strong AN fluorescence regardless of whether the metal cation exists or not [Input(1)(1)-Input(2)(0); Input(1)(1)-Input(2)(1)]. These emission switching behaviors of L1 are driven by the difference in the coordination stability between L1 and metal cations and the photoinduced intramolecular electron and energy transfer processes: (i) a pH-induced electron transfer from unprotonated nitrogen atoms of the polyamine chain to the photoexcited AN [ELT(N -> AN*)]; (ii) a pH- and metal coordination-induced electron transfer from the photoexcited AN to the ground-state BP [ELT(AN*-> BP)]; and (iii) a Cu2+ coordination-induced energy transfer from the photoexcited AN to Cu2+ [ENT(AN*-> Cu2+)].