A Maleamide bridged carbazole receptor was designed and synthesized, the interactions between the receptor and anions, such as Ac − , H 2 PO 4 − , OH − , F − , Cl − , Br − and I − in DMSO were investigated by UV-Vis spectroscopy and 1 H NMR titration. The results of UV-Vis spectral studies indicate that interactions existed between receptor and anions, which induced remarkable color changes. The 1 H NMR titration indicated amide moiety of the receptor was deprontonated first when a small quantity of anions such as Ac − , H 2 PO 4 − , F − were added; however, the carbazole N—H was gradually deprontonated upon the addition of anions.