Dendrimers and gold nanoparticles as exo-receptors sensing biologically important anions.

Dendrimers, alkylthiol-gold nanoparticles and gold-nanoparticle-cored dendrimers containing tethers terminated by a redox group (typically an iron sandwich) attached to a hydrogen-bonding group (amido, amino, silyl) are selective and efficient exo-receptors for the recognition, sensing and titration of oxo-anions, including ATP(2-), or halogens, mostly using cyclic voltammetry. Various positive dendritic effects were disclosed (in contrast to catalysis), and large gold-nanoparticle-cored redox dendrimers of this type that contain several hundred equivalent ferrocenyl groups readily adsorb on Pt electrodes, providing useful regenerable electrochemical sensors.