Teaching old indicators new tricks

Threshold Detection Using Indicator-Displacement Assays: An Application in the Analysis of Malate in Pinot Noir Grapes

The mathematics for modeling indicator-displacement assay isotherms is presented and contrasted to the classical host-guest binding isotherm. It is shown that the signal response can be tuned to occur closer to 1 equiv of guest relative to a standard binding algorithm. This delay in response leads to a better triggering protocol for threshold detection schemes. The determination of malate in Pinot Noir must was calculated using this new mathematical model, which demonstrates how a color change can be tuned to occur near a desired concentration of analyte.

A Novel Colorimetric and Fluorescent Anion Chemosensor Based on the Flavone Quasi-crown Ether−Metal Complex

The metal-ligand complex 1 ([Mg (L)] (2+)) (or 2 ([Ca (L)]( 2+))) was demonstrated to selectively bind HSO(4)(-) (or H(2)PO(4)(-)) over other anions by using UV-vis absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy. The studied complex exhibits the remarkable color change and fluorescence quenching upon introducing HSO(4)(-) (or H(2)PO(4)(-)) anion in acetonitrile. Both the mechanism and structure of the secondary complex of complex 1 with anion were proposed on the basis of theoretical computation.

Facile Quantification of Enantiomeric Excess and Concentration with Indicator-Displacement Assays: An Example in the Analyses of α-Hydroxyacids

An enantioselective indicator-displacement assay was developed to determine enantiomeric excess (ee) and concentration of alpha-hydroxyacid samples with two independent absorption measurements. The inherent relationship between the absorbance of the indicator-displacement ensemble and the overall concentration and ee of the analyte was established through solution equilibria.

Fluorescent Polymeric AND Logic Gate with Temperature and pH as Inputs

We illustrate a general polymeric design of fluorescent logic gates, for example, AND, using temperature and pH as inputs.

Programmed assembly of rigid-rod ?-barrel pores: Thermal inversion of chirality

The programmed assembly of p-octiphenyl rods carrying six complementary tripeptide strands was studied in the presence of bilayer membranes using circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. Thermal CD experiments demonstrated programmed assembly of anionic and cationic rods into supramolecules at low temperature that irreversibly transform into more stable supramolecules at intermediate and high temperature. Higher activation energies for programmed assembly with rods containing multiple guanidinium rather than ammonium cations was consistent with stabilization by guanidinium-anion complexes. Qualitative thermal inversion of supramolecular chirality during programmed assembly was detected continuously. Inversion of supramolecular chirality occurred with decreasing solvent polarity as well.

Three-component systems for conventional and window-shaped response fluorescent pH indicators

Three-component systems made of a tetradentate bis-amino bis-quinoline ligand, a transition metal cation (Ni2+ or Cu2+) and a fluorescent indicator (Coumarin 343) have been studied in a water-dioxane (1 : 4 v/v) mixture, through potentiometric, pH-spectrophotometric and pH-fluorimetric titrations. For the Cu2+ containing systems, an "on-off-on" variation of fluorescence intensity vs. pH has been observed, whereas in the presence of Ni2+ a simple "on-off" profile of the fluorescence intensity vs. pH was obtained. These ternary systems thus behave as window-shaped or conventional pH-indicators, depending whether Cu2+ or Ni2+ is used as the cation.

Anion-Mediated Transfer of Polyarginine across Liquid and Bilayer Membranes

The accumulation of reports on the puzzling behavior of guanidinium-rich oligo/polymers in bilayer membranes, reaching from HIV-Tat-like (HIV Tat is the human immunodeficiency virus transactivator of transcription) translocation to selectivity and voltage-gating of ion channels, prompted us to investigate possible contributions from counteranions to these phenomena. We report that anion-mediated variability of charge and solubility makes guanidinium-rich oligo/polymers adaptable to many environments. For example, poly- and hexaarginine but not polylysine phase transferred from water into chloroform in the presence of amphiphilic anions such as monomeric sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), egg yolk phosphatidylglycerol (EYPG), cholesterol sulfate, pyrenebutyrate, and stearate. Hydrophilic anions with high affinity inhibited phase transfer of 5(6)-carboxyfluorescein (CF)-polyarginine complexes into bulk membranes (sulfate, adenosine 5'-triphosphate, adenosine 5'-monophosphate, heparin, and micellar SDS). At least binary anion cocktails were necessary to activate polyarginine as a carrier in bulk chloroform membranes. Refined combinations of EYPG, phosphate, and azide or TFA were found to maximize translocation of CF across bulk membranes by polyarginine. Polyarginine-mediated CF efflux from large unilamellar vesicles was best in the presence of EYPG in the bilayer as well as phosphate and TFA in the medium. Similar regulatory activities of several anions were in support of a common carrier mechanism for guanidinium-rich oligo/polymers in bulk and bilayer membranes. The identified activities of polyarginine in bulk and lipid membranes suggested that anion-mediated adaptability of the solubility of guanidinium-rich oligo/polymers cannot be ignored in studies on biological function. The infinite variability and dynamic nature of available regulatory anion cocktails may contribute to the elusive character of guanidinium-rich oligo/polymer function in biomembranes.

Molecular probe for selective detection of thiols in water of neutral pH

The ternary complex, [Zn(cyclen)(lumazine)](+) that can be readily obtained by mixing cyclen, zinc perchlorate, and lumazine in water in a 1:1:1 molar ratio serves as a molecular probe that detects selectively thiols in an aqueous solution of neutral pH. Thiols successfully displace the lumazine in the molecular probe, which is accompanied by a decrease of the fluorescence. The molecular probe is useful for identification of cysteine among essential amino acids and detection of glutathione in aqueous solution of neutral pH.

Development of fluorescent sensing of anions under excited-state intermolecular proton transfer signaling mechanism

[reaction: see text] A substantially red-shifted fluorescence emission in 3-hydroxyl-2-naphthanilide in acetonitrile was developed and drastically enhanced upon addition of anions such as F(-), AcO(-), and H(2)PO(4)(-), with the enhancement depending on anion basicity. Excited-state intermolecular proton transfer in the sensor-anion hydrogen-bonding complex was suggested to be the signaling mechanism.

A New Chromo-chemodosimeter Selective for Sulfide Anion

A new chromo-chemodosimeter for the anion sulfide in aqueous environments has been developed. The recognition concept is based on a pyrylium-thiopyrylium transformation that is conveniently drawn toward "color chemistry" concepts by means of the anchoring of an aniline group. This causes the color of the aniline-pyrylium backbone in L1 to change selectively from magenta to blue when transformed to the corresponding aniline-thiopyrylium in the presence of the sulfide anion. The method is simple and easy, suggesting potential applications in a variety of different environments where easy and rapid determination of sulfide might be required.

Two-arm ferrocene amide compounds: synclinal conformations for selective sensing of dihydrogen phosphate ion

[structure: see text] Ferrocene compounds bearing multiple amido groups selectively bind with the H(2)PO(4)(-) ion over other anions. The one-arm receptors form 1:1 complexes with the H(2)PO(4)(-) ion, whereas the two-arm receptors can accommodate two H(2)PO(4)(-) ions. The complexation modes and binding strengths are deduced from the NMR, calorimetry, fluorescence, and cyclic voltammetry studies. The two-arm ferrocene hexamide receptors likely exist in synclinal conformations to incorporate tetrahydrofuran molecules and H(2)PO(4)(-) ions.

A green fluorescent chemosensor for amino acids provides a versatile high-throughput screening (HTS) assay for proteases

The water soluble fluorescein-based ligand 1 forms a non-fluorescent complex with Cu(2+). This complex serves as a fluorescent sensor for amino acids in the 10(-3) M concentration range. Since the signal response is very fast, the sensor can be used to detect the hydrolytic activity of various proteases (trypsin, chymotrypsin, subtilisin) on bovine serum albumin as a whole protein substrate, and more generally to follow reactions releasing or removing free amino acids, in real time.

High ionic strength glucose-sensing photonic crystal

We demonstrate a colorimetric glucose recognition material consisting of a crystalline colloidal array embedded within a polyacrylamide-poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) hydrogel, or a polyacrylamide-15-crown-5 hydrogel, with pendent phenylboronic acid groups. We utilize a new molecular recognition motif, in which boronic acid and PEG (or crown ether) functional groups are prepositioned in a photonic crystal hydrogel, such that glucose self-assembles these functional groups into a supramolecular complex. The formation of the complex results in an increase in the hydrogel cross-linking, which for physiologically relevant glucose concentration blue shifts the photonic crystal diffraction. The visually evident diffraction color shifts across the visible spectral region over physiologically important glucose concentration ranges. These materials respond to glucose at physiological ionic strengths and pH values and are selective in their mode of response for glucose over galactose, mannose, and fructose. Thus, we have developed a new recognition motif for glucose that shows promise for the fabrication of noninvasive or minimally invasive in vivo glucose sensing for patients with diabetes mellitus.

Designing the selectivity of the fluorescent detection of amino acids: a chemosensing ensemble for histidine

The imidazole group of histidine deprotonates and bridges the two CuII centers of a dimetallic polyamine macrocyclic complex, displacing the previously bound and quenched fluorescent indicator I. Thus, histidine recognition is signaled by the revival of the fluorescence of I. Selectivity with respect to other natural amino acids is achieved by choosing an indicator of tuned affinity toward the dicopper(II) receptor.

Water soluble sapphyrins: potential fluorescent phosphate anion sensors

As part of an ongoing effort to study the anion binding properties of sapphyrins in various media, a number of previously reported water solubilized sapphyrins were studied in methanol and in buffered, neutral aqueous solutions and found to undergo self-aggregation under these solution phase conditions. The nature of the species produced as the result of self-aggregation and the processes leading to their formation were studied via UV-vis absorbance and fluorescence spectroscopy. In previous work (V. Král, H. Furuta, K. Shreder, V. Lynch, and J. L. Sessler, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1996, 118 1595-1607) it was found that the addition of phosphate-type anions to water soluble sapphyrins at pH 6.1 gives rise to visible spectroscopic changes consistent with the binding to the aggregated form and the concurrent formation of an anion-bound dimer with effective equilibrium constants on the order of 100-300 M(-1). In this study we show that at high phosphate-to-sapphyrin ratios in neutral, buffered aqueous solutions further deaggregation occurs to produce an anion-bound monomeric form. This highly fluorescent species is formed with effective equilibrium constants on the order of 6-19 M(-1) leading to considerations that sapphyrins could function as fluorescent phosphate anion sensors. In an effort to modulate the deaggregation properties, several new sapphyrin derivatives bearing two meso aryl substituents were prepared and studied. The aggregation properties of these latter systems were analyzed in methanol and, in the case of one water solublized system, in neutral aqueous media. In analogy to what was observed for the beta-alkyl substituted sapphyrins, H-type aggregates were seen for the water solubilized meso-substituted system in aqueous media. However, in contrast to the H-type dimers seen in the case of the meso-free systems in methanol, J-type dimers were observed in the case of the sapphyrins bearing two meso substituents in this solvent. The effective dimerization constants of several of the meso-diaryl sapphyrins were determined in methanol as were their pKa values in aqueous media. The solid state structure of the bis HBr salt of one of the meso-diaryl sapphyrins, specifically 10,15-bis(3,5-di-tert-butylphenyl)-3,22-diethyl-2,23-dimethylsapphyrin, was also determined and found to show elements in common with those of previously reported sapphyrin derivatives. In particular, the two counter anions were found to be hydrogen bound above and below the diprotonated sapphyrin plane.

Anion receptor functions of lanthanide tris(β-diketonate) complexes: naked eye detection and ion-selective electrode determination of Cl−anion

Lanthanide tris(fluorinated beta-diketonates) acted as effective receptors of Cl- anion in luminescence sensing and ion-selective electrode systems via highly coordinated complexation.

'On-off-on' fluorescent indicators of pH windows based on three separated components

'On-off-on' fluorescent indicators for pH windows are obtained with ternary systems in which the three separated components are Cu2+, a tetraaza ligand and the fluorophore Coumarin 343: protonation of Coumarin 343, its coordination to Cu2+ and its displacement from Cu2+ by OH- give an inverse bell-shaped variation of emission with pH.

A selective chromogenic reagent for cyanide determination

A chromogenic reagent for cyanide determination in water based on the reaction of this anion with a squaraine derivative functionalized with ether chains has been developed.

Supramolecular association of dopamine with immobilized fluorescent probes

We have designed a two-step procedure to coat silica particles with fluorescent 2,7-diazapyrenium dications. The electron-deficient character of the dications encourages the association of dopamine at the particle/water interface. The supramolecular event produces a significant decrease in the fluorescence intensity. Model binding studies with catechol and propylamine revealed that the interfacial complexation of dopamine is dominated by the interaction of its electron-rich dioxyarene fragment with the electron-deficient fluorophore in neutral aqueous environments.

Aptamer-based colorimetric probe for cocaine

Complex of an anti-cocaine aptamer and the dye diethylthiotricarbocyanine behaves as a colorimetric sensor with attenuation in absorbance at 760 nm for cocaine in the concentration range of 2-600 muM. Mechanistic studies indicate an intermolecular displacement of the dye as the mechanism of action of the sensor. As the dye is insoluble in buffer, cocaine binding can be followed with the unaided eye as displaced dye precipitates and supernatant decolorizes.

A colorimetric sensing ensemble for heparin

A receptor possessing ammoniums and a novel amino acid with a boronic acid side chain was designed and synthesized. The receptor shows good affinity and selectivity for heparin over similar polysaccharides possessing lower anionic charge density. The affinity for heparin is similar to that for a heparin disaccharide, indicating that disaccharidic units are the likely sites for binding to the receptor. The receptor has a potential use for creating a colorimetric assay for heparin.