text: Fluoride (F) and acetate (CHCOO) anions are among the most important ones in the context of human health and well-being. The former, though used extensively in health care, is known for its toxicity and corrosiveness. The latter can cause alkalosis and affect metabolic pathways beyond a certain concentration. Hence, it is crucial to develop methods to detect these anions in aqueous media. Bhat et al. constructed an INHIBIT gate with receptors that bind selectively to F and CHCOO anions. The system used changes in absorbance as a colorimetric-based output to detect the concentration of anions.  
  Wen and coworkers also designed an INHIBIT molecular logic gate with Fe and EDTA as the inputs and a fluorescence output for the detection of ferric ions in solutions. The fluorescence of the system is quenched if and only if Fe input is present and EDTA is absent.
  Heavy metal ions provide a persistent threat to human health because of their inherent toxicity and low degradability. Several molecular logic gate-based systems have been constructed to detect ions such as Cd, Hg/Pb, and Ag. In their work, Chen and coworkers demonstrated that logic gate-based systems could be used to detect Cd ions in rice samples, thereby widening the scope of the field to safety detection in food materials, too.