Complexation of L ‐Lactate with Boronic Acids: A Solution and Holographic Analysis

Boronic acids have been used as receptors for the detection of diols and α‐hydroxy acids. The incorporation of 3‐acrylamide phenyl boronic acid (3‐APB) into a hydrogel generates a suitably responsive and fully reversible holographic sensor for L ‐lactate. However, it was also found that the use of 3‐APB resulted in the sensor being responsive towards a number of other compounds containing two hydroxy groups. This report details the further investigation into the reaction between L ‐lactate and three boronic acid‐based receptors, both in the holograms and in solution, in order to establish the mechanism of binding. A novel boronate receptor is proposed based on this understanding.