We have developed an analytical assay to detect the enzymatic activity of acetylcholine esterase and alkaline phosphatase based on the generation of quantum dots by enzymatic products. Acetylcholine esterase converts acetylthiocholine into thiocholine. The latter enhances the rate of decomposition of sodium thiosulfate into H(2)S, which in the presence of cadmium sulfate yields CdS quantum dots showing a time dependent exponential growth, typical of autocatalytic processes. This assay was also applied to detect acetylcholine esterase inhibitors. Alkaline phosphatase hydrolyzes thiophosphate and yields H(2)S, which instantly reacts with Cd(2+) to give CdS quantum dots. The formation of CdS quantum dots in both reactions was followed by fluorescence spectroscopy and showed dependence on the concentration of enzyme and substrate.

The water-soluble bis(bipyridine)chloro(4-picolinic acid) osmium complex, [Os(III)(bpy)2Cl(PyCOOH)]2+ (bpy=2,2'-bipyridine, Py=pyridine), is fluorescent in aqueous solution, whereas the reduced form of the complex, [Os(II)(bpy)2Cl(PyCOOH)]+, shows no significant fluorescence under the same conditions. Such reversible redox control of the fluorescence of the complex can be easily adapted to follow any enzymatic reaction to yield oxidising or reducing products that are capable of interacting with [Os(III)(bpy)2Cl(PyCOOH)]2+ or [Os(II)(bpy)2Cl(PyCOOH)]+. Based on the redox reaction between products of biocatalytic reactions and the osmium complex, we have designed a simple bioanalytical assay for the detection of nerve gases, alpha-ketoglutarate, hydrogen peroxide and glucose.

Coat of lipids: Water‐dispersible and functionalizable upconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs) for selective imaging of live cancer cells were synthesized. The synthetic approach involves coating the surface of the UCNPs with a monolayer of phospholipids that contain different functional groups (see picture), thus allowing for conjugation of many molecules for applications in fields such as bioinspired nanoassembly, biosensing, and biomedicine.