<p>A
boronic acid-based anthracene fluorescent probe was functionalised with an
acrylamide unit to incorporate into a hydrogel system for monosaccharide
detection<i>. </i>In solution, the
fluorescent probe<b> </b>displayed a strong
fluorescence turn-on response upon exposure to fructose, and an expected trend
in apparent binding constants, as judged by a fluorescence response where D-fructose > D-galactose > D-mannose > D-glucose. The
hydrogel incorporating the boronic acid monomer demonstrated the ability to
detect monosaccharides by fluorescence with the same overall trend as the
monomer in solution with the addition of fructose resulting in a 10-fold
enhancement (≤ 0.25 M). <b><u></u></b></p>