Supramolecular fluorescent probe based on a host–guest complex for amino acids recognition and detection in aqueous solution

A supramolecular fluorescent probe based on a host-guest complex has been developed for amino acid recognition and detection in aqueous solution. Cucurbit[7]uril (Q[7]) with 4-(4-dimethylamino-styrene) quinoline (DSQ) formed a fluorescent probe ([email protected][7]). The [email protected][7] fluorescent probe nearly generated changes in fluorescence in response to four amino acids (arginine, histidine, phenylalanine and tryptophan). These changes were attributed to the host-guest interaction between [email protected][7] and amino acids, which occurred as a consequence of the subtle cooperation of ionic dipole and hydrogen bonding. Linear discriminant analysis showed that the fluorescent probe could recognize and distinguish four amino acids, and a mixture with different concentration ratios could be well categorized in ultrapure water and tap water.