Fluorescent monofunctionalized beta-cyclodextrins bearing a copper(II) binding side arm and a dansyl group (CD-NH-AA-CH(2)CH(2)NH-DNS) were designed as enantioselective sensors for unmodified alpha-amino acids. The side arm was derived from amino acid synthons (AA = L- and D-phenylalanine (1 and 2), L- and D-phenylglycine (3 and 4), L-proline (5), and L-cyclohexylglycine (6)) and was chosen in order to contain an amide, an amine, and a sulphonamide group. Enantioselectivity was evaluated by addition of copper(II) complexes of D- or L-valine and D- or L-proline. Chiral discrimination in the fluorescence response was observed in all cases, due to a ligand exchange process. The best conditions for these experiments were found to be the use of an excess (10:1) of the copper complex. The cyclodextrin 4 containing a D-phenylglycine unit was found to be poorly enantioselective, as found for 2, suggesting that the best design can be obtained by using L-amino acids. All L-amino acid containing cyclodextrins showed good enantioselectivities, some of which were higher than those already reported for 1. Other analytes related to amino acids were studied using cyclodextrins 1 and 3. Enantiomers of alpha,alpha-disubstituted amino acids, N-methylamino acids, and amino acid amides were found to be discriminated, while beta-phenylalanine and other molecules bearing a poor anchoring group at the alpha-carbon gave poor enantioselectivity. On the basis of the present data a model for the recognition process, based on the formation of ternary diastereomeric complexes, is proposed.

Modified cyclodextrins bearing a metal binding site and a dansyl fluorophore 6-deoxy-6-N-(N a -[(5-dimethylamino-1-naphthalenesulfonyl)aminoethyl]-aminocylamino-b-cyclodextrin, containing L-Phe (S-1), L-PhGly (S-2) or L-Pro (S-3) moieties, were used as enantioselective fluorescence sensors for the discrimination of enantiomers of the amino acids valine and proline, according to a ligand exchange mechanism. The best conditions to perform enantiomeric analyses were studied and a fast protocol using fluorescence quenching by the copper(II)/amino acid complexes in a fluorescence microplate reader was developed, allowing the detection of samples with high enantiomeric excess. Calibration of the fluorescence response as a function of enantiomeric composition was obtained using the Stern-Volmer model; the calibration curves showed good linearity, allowing fast evaluation of enantiomeric excess within 6% error. Two calibration curves and triplicate analyses of six valine samples were performed in two minutes.

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