Decoration of Terpyridine with Electron‐Rich Unit THDTAP: an Efficient Way to Explore Fluorescence Sensors for Recognizing Metal Ions

The electron‐donating unit 2,3,4,6‐tetrahydro‐1,6‐dithia‐3a‐azaphenalene (THDTAP) was introduced onto terpyridine (TPy) to give a donor‐acceptor (D‐A) type TPy‐ligand (compound 2 ). Upon selective oxidation of two sulfur atoms on the THDTAP moiety of 2 , the ligands 3 — 6 were created. The electronic structures of 2 — 6 were evaluated by theoretical, electrochemical, and spectroscopic investigations. The oxidation on the sulfur atoms brings significant influence on the electron‐donating ability of THDTAP moiety, subsequently, leads to fine modulations on intramolecular charge‐transfer (ICT) of 2 — 6 and the electronically excited states of the complexes of 2 — 6 with metal ions. Based on the optical response of 2 — 6 toward metal ions, the step‐by‐step recognition of Zn²⁺, Cd²⁺, and Ag⁺ ions is set up by employing 2 and 3 as combined fluorescence sensors.