A naked-eye, selective and sensitive chemosensor for fluoride ion

Effect of the addition of six different anions on the absorption and fluorescence spectra of acridine yellow G (AYG) was examined. Only the F− anion could induce a visible color change observable with naked eye and a strong fluorescence quenching with KSV of 8.3 × 104 mol−1 L in CH3CN solutions. Calculated results of the interaction between the F− anion and acridine yellow G using the B3LYP/6-31G(d) program showed that the intermolecular charge transfer through the formation of an H-bond between AYG and F− is an essential sensor mechanism.