Electrochemical Recognition of Charged and Neutral Guest Species by Redox-active Receptor Molecules

Publisher Summary This chapter illustrates the concept of electrochemical recognition of guest species by redox-active host systems and the pathways by which the complexation and electrochemical reactions are coupled together. This chapter illustrates that the technique requires the incorporation of an electropolymerizable group into the receptor. However, once this is achieved the fabrication of the device—a modified electrode in this case— involves the immersion of the electrode into a solution of the receptor (and perhaps a simple electropolymerizable monomer spacer) and then growing a polymer film by conventional chronoamperometric (constant potential electrolysis) or cyclic voltammetric (potential cycling) methods. The chapter also investigates the properties of this first calix[4]arene modified electrode with various guest molecules. Finally, the detection of neutral guests by redox-active hosts can be another challenge for the future of this area of chemistry.