In this tutorial review, the design strategies, syntheses, and ion sensing properties of conjugated oligopyrroles are described.

Di- and tripyrrin Zn²⁺ sensors exhibit CHEF-type fluorescence enhancement by factors up to 72, with tunable emission colours.

The combination of pyrrole and hemiquinone units produced a novel prototype of efficient colorimetric fluoride sensors, and the presence of the tautomerism effect provides additional means of modulating the sensing behavior.

2,2′-Dipyridylamine and anthracene units were linked to afford highly emissive compounds whose Cu²⁺ ensembles were developed as effective fluorescence turn-on CN⁻ probes.