A new chiral oligomer based on oligo-(p-phenyleneethynylene), having many Lewis acid metal centers (uranyl ions), able to efficiently recognize tryptophan (Trp), is herein reported. The presence of a conjugated oligomeric scaffold allows for obtaining the first fluorescent uranyl-oligomer, with a significant limit of detection (sub-ppm). This oligomer has been found to show high enantioselectivity for the L-enantiomer of Trp (more than 40:1) relative to the D-form, with high selectivity relative to other amino acid derivatives. Oligomers, having a length of around 10 nm, exhibited increased size due to the formation of non-covalent host-guest interactions with Trp, leading to micrometer-sized structures, as observed by DLS measurements. This is the first example of a fluorescent uranyl-salen oligomer able to recognize Trp.
Chiral Fluorescent Uranyl-Salen-Oligomer for Enantiomeric Supramolecular Recognition of Tryptophan
Pappalardo, Andrea;Nicosia, Angelo;Fraix, Aurore;Santonocito, Rossella;Mineo, Placido;Trusso Sfrazzetto, Giuseppe
2026-01-01
Abstract
A new chiral oligomer based on oligo-(p-phenyleneethynylene), having many Lewis acid metal centers (uranyl ions), able to efficiently recognize tryptophan (Trp), is herein reported. The presence of a conjugated oligomeric scaffold allows for obtaining the first fluorescent uranyl-oligomer, with a significant limit of detection (sub-ppm). This oligomer has been found to show high enantioselectivity for the L-enantiomer of Trp (more than 40:1) relative to the D-form, with high selectivity relative to other amino acid derivatives. Oligomers, having a length of around 10 nm, exhibited increased size due to the formation of non-covalent host-guest interactions with Trp, leading to micrometer-sized structures, as observed by DLS measurements. This is the first example of a fluorescent uranyl-salen oligomer able to recognize Trp.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
