Sign inversion of circularly polarized luminescence by geometry manipulation of four naphthalene units introduced into a tartaric acid scaffold.

Tethering four 1- versus 2-naphthyls to the same chiral scaffold derived from tartaric acid led to oppositely signed circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) and circular dichroism (CD) in solution, which not only reveals the decisive role of the spatial arrangement of chromophores/fluorophores in determining the chiroptical behaviors but also provides us with a versatile tool for switching the signs of CPL and CD without using the antipodal scaffold.