Adenosine is a biologically important molecule as it acts as local modulator with cytoprotective function in the body. Adenosine accumulates in the extracellular space in response to metabolic stress and cell damage, and elevations in extracellular adenosine level are found in conditions like myocardial ischemia, hypoxia, inflammation and trauma. Its abnormal concentration therefore could be a marker of many diseases. Therefore determining its concentration can help understand the physiological state of the body. However its selective detection by synthetic receptors is not possible till date.

Efforts have been made here to design molecular tweezer for adenosine. Multistep synthesis was done to synthesize two clamps, namely the π-π stacking clamp and the hydrogen bonding clamp for the proposed tweezer. These two clamps in coordination with Zn⁺² ions intended to form a pre-organized tweezers molecule for more favorable complexation with adenosine.