Role of sulfur based compounds in monitoring of various analytes through spectroscopical investigations

•Synthesis and luminescent properties of sulfur residing nonaromatic compounds.•Possible luminescence mechanisms underpinning the different categories of clusteroluminogens are analyzed individually.•Comprehensive theory of the through-space conjugation (TSC) for these chromophores has been discussed.•Based on the CTE effect and TSC theory, various applications have been envisioned.