“…Azole and benzazole ESIPT-capable derivatives are workhorses in the area of ESIPT studies. − The most common molecular pattern of these compounds which is widely relied upon in the design of ESIPT dyes includes the proton-accepting azole/benzazole moiety combined with the proton-donating 2-hydroxyphenyl group or its analogues introduced in the α position to the azolic N atom. In contrast, pyrimidine derivatives are relatively rarely used for the design of ESIPT-fluorophores in comparison with azole and benzazole ones. ,− However, being combined with suitable proton-donating groups, they can serve as proton-accepting moieties. ,, Moreover, introducing additional donor groups in the pyrimidine core can lead to more complex molecular architectures of pyrimidine-based compounds suitable for binding metal ions and providing numerous sites for protonation, including isomeric ones. ,, In turn, the synthesis of isomeric ESIPT-capable compounds allows researchers to shed more light on the impact of structural factors on ESIPT and on relationships between ESIPT and luminescence. − The coordination of conventional dyes and ESIPT emitters to metal ions with d electronic configuration such as Zn 2+ is known to enhance the quantum efficiency of emission. − Earlier we demonstrated that emissions of 4-(1 H -pyrazol-1-yl)-6-(2-hydroxyphenyl)pyrimidines and 2-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-4-(1 H -pyrazol-1-yl)pyrimidines, which belong to two different isomeric families (Chart ), share such a common feature as dual emission associated with singlet-to-singlet and triplet-to-singlet transitions, which is contributed by anti-Kasha fluorescence of the tautomeric form. ,, However, their coordination behavior toward Zn 2+ ions appeared to be quite different, whereas the 4-(1 H -pyrazol-1-yl)-6-(2-hydroxyphenyl)pyrimidine derivative can bind Zn 2+ ions through the N,N-site of the molecule, which produces multicolor emission of the complex, 2-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-4-(3,5-dimethyl-1 H -pyrazol-1-yl)pyrimidine derivatives cannot do this. We associated this with steric effects imposed by methyl and phenyl substituents introduced in positions 3 and 5 of the pyrazolyl group.…”