Rapid, enantioselective and colorimetric detection of D-arginine

D-amino acids are of biological significance yet are not clearly understood due to the lack of powerful analytical tools for their identification. Thus, the specific detection of a single enantiomer of a particular amino acid remains a great challenge due to their structural similarity. Here, we report a strategy to incorporate multiple reaction sites on a chiral 1,1′-bi-2,2′-naphthol-based fluorescent probe. It can respond specifically to D-arginine, while producing no response when in contact with all other amino acids. The probe can report arginine’s concentration, and enantiomeric configuration and colorimetric studies enable its qualitative determination.