Harnessing the duality of bases toward controlled color and fluorescence

Bases can promote keto-enol tautomerism, a prevalent form of prototropic tautomerism, and facilitate the ring opening of anhydride ring structures. The intrinsic chemical distinctions between these processes provide an opportunity to modulate these seemingly parallel reactions. However, this potential remains largely unexplored. In this work, we report homophthalic anhydride, the first molecule exhibiting simultaneous halochromism, turn-on fluorescence (halofluorochromism), and subsequent self-destruction. Through comprehensive spectroscopic analysis and theoretical calculations, we unravel the mechanisms underlying these phenomena, revealing that the pivotal roles of the base’s basicity and nucleophilicity specifically allow us to achieve controlled durations of color change and turn-on fluorescence. Capitalizing on these intriguing properties, we develop a highly dynamic CMY (cyan-magenta-yellow) palette ideal for entity encryption and anti-counterfeiting applications. Our work reshapes the understanding of the relationship between the basicity and nucleophilicity of bases, enriching the comprehension of keto-enol tautomerism and homophthalic anhydride chemistry, and unveils a spectrum of potential applications.