A dithienosilole-based fluorescent chemosensor for multiple logic operations at the molecular level.

A chemosensor consisting of two terpyridines covalently linked to a dithienosilole unit ( 1 ) has been synthesized, and its optical and metal sensing properties have been investigated. Due to the metal–organic coordination function, 1 can bind with many transition metal ions and display different fluorescence responses that cause it to function as a “turn-off” fluorescent chemosensor. A significant bathochromic shift in the fluorescence spectra is observed in the presence of Zn 2+ . Meanwhile, the emission of 1 is weakened upon exposure to Ag + and Fe 2+ and completely quenched by Ni 2+ , Co 2+ , and Cu 2+ . Based on the observed results, several logic gates, such as XNOR, INHIBIT, and IMPLICATION, have been achieved by controlling the chemical inputs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]