Detection of chemical and biological agents plays a fundamental role in biomedical, forensic and environmental sciences1–4 as well as in anti bioterrorism applications.5–7 The development of highly sensitive, cost effective, miniature sensors is therefore in high demand which requires advanced technology coupled with fundamental knowledge in chemistry, biology and material sciences.8–13

In general, sensors feature two functional components: a recognition element to provide selective/specific binding with the target analytes and a transducer component for signaling the binding event. An efficient sensor relies heavily on these two essential components for the recognition process in terms of response time, signal to noise (S/N) ratio, selectivity and limits of detection (LOD).14,15 Therefore, designing sensors with higher efficacy depends on the development of novel materials to improve both the recognition and transduction processes. Nanomaterials feature unique physicochemical properties that can be of great utility in creating new recognition and transduction processes for chemical and biological sensors15–27 as well as improving the S/N ratio by miniaturization of the sensor elements.28

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) possess distinct physical and chemical attributes that make them excellent scaffolds for the fabrication of novel chemical and biological sensors (Figure 1).29–36 First, AuNPs can be synthesized in a straightforward manner and can be made highly stable. Second, they possess unique optoelectronic properties. Third, they provide high surface-to-volume ratio with excellent biocompatibility using appropriate ligands.30 Fourth, these properties of AuNPs can be readily tuned varying their size, shape and the surrounding chemical environment. For example, the binding event between recognition element and the analyte can alter physicochemical properties of transducer AuNPs, such as plasmon resonance absorption, conductivity, redox behavior, etc. that in turn can generate a detectable response signal. Finally, AuNPs offer a suitable platform for multi-functionalization with a wide range of organic or biological ligands for the selective binding and detection of small molecules and biological targets.30–32,36 Each of these attributes of AuNPs has allowed researchers to develop novel sensing strategies with improved sensitivity, stability and selectivity. In the last decade of research, the advent of AuNP as a sensory element provided us a broad spectrum of innovative approaches for the detection of metal ions, small molecules, proteins, nucleic acids, malignant cells, etc. in a rapid and efficient manner.37



Figure 1

Physical properties of AuNPs and schematic illustration of an AuNP-based detection system.



In this current review, we have highlighted the several synthetic routes and properties of AuNPs that make them excellent probes for different sensing strategies. Furthermore, we will discuss various sensing strategies and major advances in the last two decades of research utilizing AuNPs in the detection of variety of target analytes including metal ions, organic molecules, proteins, nucleic acids, and microorganisms.

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Gold nanoparticles in chemical and biological sensing.

Anion recognition chemistry has grown from its beginnings in the late 1960s with positively charged ammonium cryptand receptors for halide binding to, at the end of the millennium, a plethora of charged and neutral, cyclic and acyclic, inorganic and organic supramolecular host systems for the selective complexation, detection, and separation of anionic guest species. Solvation effects and pH values have been shown to play crucial roles in the overall anion recognition process. More recent developments include exciting advances in anion-templated syntheses and directed self-assembly, ion-pair recognition, and the function of anions in supramolecular catalysis.

Anion Recognition and Sensing: The State of the Art and Future Perspectives

Fluorogenic and chromogenic chemosensors and reagents for anions.

▪ Abstract Proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) is an important mechanism for charge transfer in a wide variety of systems including biology- and materials-oriented venues. We review several are...

/pdf/proton-coupled-electron-transfer-3oyvp0w9qd.pdf

Proton-Coupled Electron Transfer

Small-molecule H-bond donors in asymmetric catalysis.

Artificial Organic Host Molecules for Anions

Photochemistry of benzaldehyde

The complexation of anions in solvating phases by artificial receptors requires the total or at least partial replacement of their solvation shells by the mutual supramolecular interactions. Supplementing well-known approaches that rely on net electrostatic charges or extensive hydrogen bonding for guest complexation the present work focuses on the alternative concept of charge separation in the host to create a cationic site suitable for strong interaction with negatively charged guests. An anionic moiety balancing the overall host charge to zero is incorporated in a way to prevent collapsing into an ion pair. Using bicyclic guanidinium anchor groups for direct guest binding and a closo-borane cluster as an anionic countercharge the ditopic zwitterionic host 17 was designed and prepared in a convergent synthetic scheme. Despite its electroneutrality 17 binds inorganic and organic oxoanions such as sulfate, oxalate, squarate and p-nitrophenyl phosphate with affinity constants reaching 3.1 × 104 M-1 in DMS...

Zwitterionic guanidinium compounds serve as electroneutral anion hosts

Clear trends in the molecular recognition of guest species by artificial hosts in solution are often observed by intrinsic enthalpy-entropy compensation, which requires the dissection of these free-energy components. Contrary to common belief, it is not the enthalpic electrostatic attraction that makes guanidinium hosts such as 1 strong binders for sulfate anions. Isothermal titration calorimetry has now allowed this molecular recognition to be characterized as an entropy-driven association.

Michael Berger

Papers

Artificial Organic Host Molecules for Anions

Photochemistry of benzaldehyde

Zwitterionic guanidinium compounds serve as electroneutral anion hosts

The Binding of Sulfate Anions by Guanidinium Receptors is Entropy‐Driven

Palladium-Catalyzed Cyclization of 6-Aminohex-1-yne