Binding or aggregation? Hazards of interpretation in studies of molecular recognition by porphyrins in water

Charles M. Renney, Gaku Fukuhara, Yoshihisa Inoue and Anthony P. Davis*

Chem. Commun, 2015, 9551-9554

Abstract

Reports have suggested that polar porphyrins such as tetraphenylporphine tetrasulfonate (TPPS) can serve as carbohydrate receptors in water. Here we find that TPPS shows changes in UV-visible absorption when treated with glucose, but that these are best explained by altered aggregation states and not by formation of a closely-bound complex.