Selective Binding of Dopamine and Epinephrine in Water by Molecularly Imprinted Fluorescent Receptors

[Image: see text] Catecholamines play important roles in biology but their structural similarity makes it challenging to construct synthetic receptors with selective binding. A combination of covalent and noncovalent binding groups in the hydrophobic core of water-soluble nanoparticles enabled them to recognize dopamine and epinephrine with an association constant (K(a)) of 3–4 × 10(4) M(−1) in water, an order of magnitude higher than those of previously reported. In addition, minute structural changes among analogues were detected including the addition or removal of a single hydroxyl or methyl group.