Highly selective ratiometric estimation of fluoride ion based on a BINOL imidazolium cyclophane with dual-channel

A novel imidazolium cyclophane S-1, which displays a high selectivity for the recognition toward fluoride ion, has been constructed by using BINOL as scaffold. The fluoride ion induced remarkable red shift both in absorption and emission spectra, which might allow S-1 to be employed as a ratiometric receptor with dual-channel. The chiral recognitions of S-1 with chiral carboxylates were also examined.