Anthracene-bridged “Texas-sized” box for the simultaneous detection and uptake of tryptophan

Abstract

Tryptophan (Trp) is an essential amino acid that plays a critical role in human physiology. The increasing demand for Trp has created a highly promising market, underscoring the urgent necessity for the development of efficient strategies for the simultaneous detection and uptake of tryptophan. Herein, we report an expanded “Texas-sized” molecular box (An-TxSB), which incorporates luminescent anthracene bridging subunits and molecular recognition motifs. This luminescent molecular box demonstrates exceptional sensitivity to Trp in water, permitting its precise quantification with a notably low limit of detection (LOD) of 0.42 µmol/L. Moreover, An-TxSB facilitates the proficient uptake of Trp from simulated water samples, thereby revealing an impressive Trp adsorption capacity of up to 226.0 µmol/g.