2,7-Bis(1H-pyrrol-2-yl)ethynyl-1,8-naphthyridine: an ultrasensitive fluorescent probe for glucopyranoside

[structure: see text] A push-pull conjugated molecule, 2,7-bis(1H-pyrrol-2-yl)ethynyl-1,8-naphthyridine (BPN), has been designed to bind selectively with octyl glucopyranoside (OGU). The BPN/OGU quadruple hydrogen-bonding complex adopts a rigid BPN conformation in which the proton donor (d) and acceptor (a) relays (daad) are resonantly conjugated through the ethynyl bridge, inducing pi-electron delocalization, i.e., a charge transfer effect. The excellent photophysical properties make BPN a highly sensitive probe for monitoring glucopyranoside to a detection limit of approximately 100 pM.