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Discrimination of nitroarenes with hydrophobic dyes in a polar (H 2 O) environment is difficult but possible via a lab-on-chip, with polymeric dyes immobilized on paper or nylon membranes. Here arrays of 12 hydrophobic poly(p -phenyleneethynylene)s (PPEs), are assembled into a chemical tongue to detect/discriminate nitroarenes in water. The changes in fluorescence image of the PPEs when interacting with solutions of the nitroarenes were recorded and converted into color difference maps, followed by cluster analysis methods. The variable selection method for both paper and nylon devices selects a handful of PPEs at different pH-values that discriminate nitroaromatics reliably. The paper-based chemical tongue could accurately discriminate all studied nitroarenes whereas the nylon-based devices represented distinguishable optical signature for picric acid and 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) with high accuracy. [Display omitted] • Discrimination of nitroarenes was possible via a lab-on-chip, with dyes immobilized on paper or nylon membranes. • Hydrophobic poly (p -phenyleneethynylene)s (PPEs) were assembled into a chemical tongue. • Nylon-based devices distinguish picric acid and TNT with high accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]