Development of advanced cross conjugated systems and applications in ratiometric sensing: Altering the electronic properties of cruciforms and poly(para-phenyleneethynylene)s to elicit differing reactivity and response

With conjugated materials being used in the development of new sensory devices for detection of metals, bacteria, and chemical warfare agents, the field of organic sensing is growing faster than ever. The purpose of this dissertation is to provide a precedence for the synthesis of new cross-conjugated compounds and outline potential applications of these materials as chemical sensors and molecular probes.;This dissertation is broken into two main sections: Chapters 1-4 primarily outline the synthesis of new compounds, wherein the principal goals were to design new crossconjugated architectures based on known molecules and to compare the spectroscopic properties with well-defined systems. The central theme of chapter 5-6 is the application of cross-conjugated materials in fluorescence sensing. In both chapters, the development of a three-molecule fluorophore array is discussed along with the ability to identify and discriminate between analytes using only digital photographs of fluorescence and statistical analysis.;This research serves as a meticulous examination into cross-conjugated materials and how alterations of the frontier molecular orbitals can be utilized for applications in "chemical tongue" organic sensing devices.