Indicator displacement assays (IDAs) represent an elegant approach in supramolecular analytical chemistry. Herein, we report a chemical biosensor for the selective detection of the cyanogenic glycoside amygdalin in aqueous solution. The hybrid sensor consists of the enzyme β-glucosidase and a boronic acid appended viologen together with a fluorescent reporter dye. β-Glucosidase degrades the cyanogenic glycoside amygdalin into hydrogen cyanide, glucose, and benzaldehyde. Only the released cyanide binds at the allosteric site of the receptor (boronic acid) thereby inducing changes in the affinity of a formerly bound fluorescent indicator dye at the other side of the receptor. Thus, the sensing probe performs as allosteric indicator displacement assay (AIDA) for cyanide in water. Interference studies with inorganic anions and glucose revealed that cyanide is solely responsible for the change in the fluorescent signal. DFT calculations on a model compound revealed a 1:1 binding ratio of the boronic acid and cyanide ion. The fluorescent enzyme assay for β-glucosidase uses amygdalin as natural substrate and allows measuring Michaelis-Menten kinetics in microtiter plates. The allosteric indicator displacement assay (AIDA) probe can also be used to detect cyanide traces in commercial amygdalin samples.

The identification and discrimination of diols is of fundamental importance in medical diagnostics, such as measuring the contents of glucose in the urine of diabetes patients. Diol sensors are often based on fluorophore-appended boronic acids, but these severely lack discriminatory power and their response is one-dimensional. As an alternative strategy, we present the use of fluorinated boronic acid-appended pyridinium salts in combination with F NMR spectroscopy. A pool of 59 (bio)analytes was screened, containing monosaccharides, phosphorylated and N-acetylated sugars, polyols, carboxylic acids, nucleotides, and amines. The majority of analytes could be clearly detected and discriminated. In addition, glucose and fructose could be distinguished up to 1:9 molar ratio in mixtures. Crucially, the receptors feature high sensitivity and selectivity and are water-soluble, and theirF-NMR analyte fingerprint is pH-robust, thereby making them particularly well-suited for medical application. Finally, to demonstrate this applicability, glucose could be detected in synthetic urine samples down to 1 mM using merely a 188 MHz NMR spectrometer.

In this Communication we describe a two-component saccharide probe with logic capability. The combination of a boronic acid-appended viologen and perylene diimide was able to perform a complementary implication/not implication logic function. Fluorescence quenching and recovery with fructose was analyzed with fluorescence correlation spectroscopy on the level of a few molecules of the reporting dye.

The utilization of light and inexpensive catalysts to afford hydrogen represents a huge challenge. Following our interest in silicon-containing [FeFe]-hydrogenase ([FeFe]-H₂ase) mimics, we report a new model approach for a photocatalytic [FeFe]-H₂ase mimic 1, which contains a 1-silafluorene unit as a photosensitizer. Thereby, the photoactive ligand is linked to the [2Fe2S] cluster through S–CH₂–Si bridges. Photochemical H₂ evolution experiments were performed and revealed a turnover number (TON) of 29. This is the highest reported photocatalytic efficiency for an [FeFe]-H₂ase model complex in which the photosensitizer is covalently linked to the catalytic center

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