{
  "abstract": "Pyrazine (1,4-diazine) and its annulated derivatives are promising platforms for colorimetric and fluorescent chemosensors of biologically and environmentally relevant metal cations, including Hg2+, Cu2+, Zn2+, Pb2+, Fe3+, Al3+, Co2+, Ni2+, Ag+ and Cr3+. Their sensing potential arises from the strongly electron-deficient pyrazine ring, low-lying unoccupied molecular orbitals, and considerable synthetic versatility. This review systematically summarizes the structural diversity, metal-ion recognition strategies, photophysical response mechanisms, and practical applications of pyrazine-derived small-molecule chemosensors, with emphasis on studies published between 2015 and 2026. Reported architectures include pyrazinamide, pyrazinehydrazide, 2-acetylpyrazine, aminopyrazine, hydrazinopyrazine, aryl(hetaryl)pyrazine derivatives, pyrazines fused with five-membered carbo/heterocycles, quinoxalines, and pyrido [2,3-b]pyrazines. The analysis shows that N,N,O-tridentate chelation, CHEF/CHEQ, PET, ICT, ESIPT, FRET and AIE mechanisms govern the sensing behavior, providing detection limits from nanomolar to micromolar levels and enabling naked-eye, test-strip, and live-cell imaging applications. It is concluded that sensing performance is primarily determined by the chelating motif and the substitution pattern, while selectivity towards Cu2+ and Fe3+ remains the main limitation. Promising directions include AIE-active long-wavelength emitters, portable smartphone-assisted platforms, MOF-based architectures, and DFT-guided rational design of next-generation pyrazine chemosensors.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry, Ural Federal University, Mira St. 19, 620002 Ekaterinburg, Russia"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 3,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Tatyana N. Moshkina"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Emiliya V. Nosova",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-0177-1582"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Galina N. Lipunova"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/36td2r0xnxaf4.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3390/molecules31193573",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "36td2r0xnxaf4",
  "issns": [
    "1420-3049"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/31/19/3573",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "1607|Molecular Sensors and Ion Detection"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7213453538",
  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-08",
  "publisher": "MDPI AG",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/36td2r0xnxaf4.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:18:42Z",
      "native_id": "10.3390/molecules31193573",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/31/19/3573"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "chemistry",
      "origin": "openalex:1607|Molecular Sensors and Ion Detection",
      "subfield": "physical"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Pyrazine-Based Chemosensors for Cation Detection",
  "title_text": "Pyrazine-Based Chemosensors for Cation Detection",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:18:42Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/36td2r0xnxaf4",
  "venue": "Molecules",
  "versions": []
}