COLL 142 |
| Peter Kele, Jhony Orbulescu, Tiffany L. Calhoun, R. E. Gawley, and Roger M Leblanc. Department of Chemistry, University of Miami, 1301 Memorial Drive, Coral Gables, FL 33124 |
| Fluorescent coumaryl sensor switch molecules were synthesized and utilized for the detection of a naturally occuring toxin, saxitoxin. This toxin, produced by certain algae species that accumulates in shellfish, is responsible for a symptom called paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) and expanding threat along the coasts of the Atlantic Ocean. Using these coumaryl sensor molecules it was possible to detect saxitoxin in aqueous solutions. In addition to solution work, monolayer studies of an amphipfilic coumaryl derivative were also carried out. These monolayer results prompted the synthesis of a self-assembly of related coumaryl sensor on quartz substreate. Using this self-assembled monolayer it was possible to detect saxitoxin. These results will contribute to the fabrication of a saxitoxin sensor that consists of an optical fiber with a fluorescent sensor self-assembled monolayer on its surface. |
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Nanoscale Imaging of Biological Systems
Division of Colloid and Surface Chemistry |