From click chemistry to fluorescent molecular logic gates

Abstract

The 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded for the inventions of click chemistry and biorthogonal chemistry, which culminated from trans-disciplinary research in the areas of organic synthesis, fluorescence imaging and chemical biology. In this mini-review, the inventions of the Pourbaix sensor and the lab-on-a-molecule, both examples of purposely designed and synthesised functional molecules with fluorescence properties, are discussed. These intelligent molecules operate on the premise of a competitive tension between non-radiative photoinduced electron transfer (PET), and radiative fluorescence. Redox, acid-base and ion-binding equilibria modulate the states of these molecular devices. Potential applications of these inventions in corrosion detection, cell imaging and health diagnostics for the benefit of society are presented.