A water-soluble pillar[5]arene-based chemosensor for highly selective and sensitive fluorescence detection of l-methionine

Abstract

l-Methionine (l-Met) is an essential amino acid for the human body. The detection of l-Met in water solution is very important. Herein, we report an efficient approach for the fluorescent detection of l-Met with high selectivity and sensitivity in water using a cationic pillar[5]arene-based chemosensor (AWP5). When various l-amino acids are added to the AWP5 water solution, only l-Met can induce fluorescence in AWP5 at λem = 520 nm, showing dramatic enhancement; thus, other amino acid do not interfere in the l-Met recognition process. AWP5 also shows high sensitivity for l-Met in water, with the lowest detection limit of AWP5 for l-Met being 5.46 × 10-7 mol L-1.