Polydiacetylenes (PDAs), a family of conjugated polymers, have very unique electrical and optical properties. Upon environmental stimulation, such as by viruses, proteins, DNAs, metal ions, organic molecules etc., the blue PDAs can undergo a colorimetric transition from blue to red, which is accompanied by a fluorescence enhancement. Since the first report on polymerized diacetylene molecules as sensors of influenza virus, the development of efficient sensory systems based on PDAs continues to be of great interest. This tutorial review highlights the recent advances in bio- and chemo-sensors derived from polydiacetylenes.

Asymmetric, regio- and stereoselective alternating copolymerization of CO(2) and racemic aliphatic epoxides proceeds effectively under mild temperature and pressure by using a binary catalyst system of a chiral tetradentate Schiff base cobalt complex [SalenCo(III)X] as the electrophile in conjunction with an ionic organic ammonium salt or a sterically hindered strong organic base as the nucleophile. The substituent groups on the aromatic rings, chiral diamine backbone, and axial X group of the electrophile, as well as the nucleophilicity, leaving ability, and coordination ability of the nucleophile, all significantly affect the catalyst activity, polymer selectivity, enantioselectivity, and stereochemistry. A bulky chiral cyclohexenediimine backbone complex [SalcyCo(III)X] with an axial X group of poor leaving ability as the electrophile, combined with a bulky nuclephile with poor leaving ability and low coordination ability, is an ideal binary catalyst system for the copolymerization of CO(2) and a racemic aliphatic epoxide to selectively produce polycarbonates with relatively high enantioselectivity, >95% head-to-tail connectivity, and >99% carbonate linkages. A fast copolymerization of CO(2) and epoxides was observed when the concentration of the electrophile or/and the nucleophile was increased, and the number of polycarbonate chains was proportional to the concentration of the nucleophile. Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, in combination with a kinetic study, showed that the copolymerization involved the coordination activation of the monomer by the electrophile and polymer chain growth predominately occurring in the nucleophile. Both the enantiomorphic site effect resulting from the chiral electrophile and the polymer chain end effect mainly from the bulky nucleophile cooperatively control the stereochemistry of the CO(2)/epoxide copolymerization.

A self-calibrating bipartite viscosity sensor 1 for cellular mitochondria, composed of coumarin and boron-dipyrromethene (BODIPY) with a rigid phenyl spacer and a mitochondria-targeting unit, was synthesized. The sensor showed a direct linear relationship between the fluorescence intensity ratio of BODIPY to coumarin or the fluorescence lifetime ratio and the media viscosity, which allowed us to determine the average mitochondrial viscosity in living HeLa cells as ca. 62 cP (cp). Upon treatment with an ionophore, monensin, or nystatin, the mitochondrial viscosity was observed to increase to ca. 110 cP.

The current progress, design principles in bioimaging and therapeutic applications, and future perspectives of various chemiluminescent platforms are reviewed.

Chiral metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with porous and tunable nature show promise as heterogeneous asymmetric catalysts. Through incorporating the stereoselective organocatalyst L- or D-pyrrolidin-2-ylimidazole (PYI) and a triphenylamine photoredox group into a single framework, we have developed two enantiomeric MOFs, Zn-PYI1 and Zn-PYI2, to prompt the asymmetric α-alkylation of aliphatic aldehydes in a heterogeneous manner. The strong reductive excited state of the triphenylamaine moiety within these MOFs initiated a photoinduced electron transfer, rendering an active intermediate for the α-alkylation. The chiral PYI moieties acted as cooperative organocatalytic active sites to drive the asymmetric catalysis with significant stereoselectivity. Control experiments using the lanthanide-based metal-organic frameworks Ho-TCA and MOF-150, assembled from 4,4',4"-nitrilotribenzoic acid, as catalysts suggested that both the photosensitizer triphenylamine moiety and the chiral organocatalyst D-/L-PYI moiety were necessary for the light-driven α-alkylation reactions. Further investigations demonstrated that the integration of both photocatalyst and asymmetric organocatalyst into a single MOF makes the enantioselection superior to that of simply mixing the corresponding MOFs with the chiral adduct. The easy availability, excellent stereoselectivity, great separability, and individual components fixed with their well-defined porous and repeating structures make the MOF a versatile platform for a new type of tandem catalyst and cooperative catalyst.

Carbon dots (CDs), a kind of carbon material discovered accidentally, exhibit unexpected advantages in fluorescence imaging/sensing such as photostability, biocompatibility, and low toxicity. For emerging theranostics, an interdiscipline created by integrating therapy and diagnostics, CDs are good candidates when they are combined with targeted chemo/gene/photodynamic/photothermal therapeutic moieties. Here, the development of CDs in nanomedicine is reviewed from their use as original imaging agents and/or drug carriers to multifunctional theranostic systems. Finally, the challenges and prospects of the next‐generation of CD‐based theranostics for clinical applications are also discussed.

Phenyl-1H-anthra[1,2-d]imidazole-6,11-dione (1) and its derivatives (2 and 3) have been investigated as new colorimetric and ratiometric fluorescent chemosensors for fluoride. Acute spectral responses of 1 and 3 to fluoride in acetonitrile have been observed: an approximately 100 nm red shift in absorption and fluorescence emission and a very large ratiometric fluorescent response (R max /R min is 88 for sensor 1 and 548 for sensor 3). From the changes in the absorption, fluorescence, and 1 H NMR titration spectra, proton-transfer mechanisms have been deduced. In ground states, a twostep process has been observed: first, the formation of the sensor-fluoride hydrogen-bond complex [LH‚‚‚F] -and then the fluoride-induced deprotonation of the complex to form L -and FHF -. In excited states, the excited-state intermolecular proton-transfer made a contribution to the deprotonation. The selectivity for F -can be tuned by electron push-pull properties of the substituents on the phenyl para position of the sensors. Sensor 1 shows the best selectivity. The excellent selectivity of 1 for F -is attributed to the fitness in the acidity of its NH-group, which is tuned to be able to distinguish the subtle difference in the affinity of F -, CH 3 CO 2 -, and H 2 PO 4 -to proton.

Transition metals (d-blocks) are recognized as playing critical roles in biology, and they most often act as cofactors in diverse enzymes; however, improper regulation of transition metal stores is also connected to serious disorders. Therefore, the monitoring and imaging of transition metals are significant for biological research as well as clinical diagnosis. In this article, efforts have been made to review the chemical sensors that have been developed for the detection of the first-row d-block metals (except Cu and Zn): Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, and Ni. We focus on the development of fluorescent sensors (fall into three classes: "turn-off", "turn-on", and ratiometric), colorimetric sensors, and responsive MRI contrast agents for these transition metals (242 references). Future work will be likely to fill in the blanks: (1) sensors for Sc, Ti, and V; (2) MRI sensors for Cr, Mn, Co, Ni; (3) ratiometric fluorescent sensors for Cr(6+), Mn(2+), and Ni(2+), explore new ways of sensing Fe(3+) or Cr(3+) without the proton interference, as well as extend applications of MRI sensors to living systems.