Signal-Amplification Sensing: Creation of Chemosensors Operated by Allosterism

Abstract

Although the lock-and-key principle is a basic concept not only for highly selective enzymatic equilibria/reactions, but also for molecular recognition and supramolecular assembly, there are some problems in applying the principle to chemical sensing with artificial chemosensors. One of the most inherent examples may be an unexpected solvation, i.e., mutual entropy losses, based on an enthalpy-entropy compensatory relationship. So far, we have proposed a novel sensing methodology, “supramolecular allosteric signal-amplification sensing” (SASS), enabling us to selectively and sensitively detect various analytes that are difficult to sense in using lock-and-key-type chemosensors. In this review, we want to highlight the concept, strategy, and applications of SASS with our recent studies.