Selective Interaction of Dopamine with the Self-Assembled Fibrillar Network of a Molecular Hydrogel Revealed by STD-NMR

A molecular hydrogel formed by a derivative of L-valine with pendant isonicotinoyl moieties interacts selectively with protonated dopamine in the presence of related compounds such as 3-methylcatechol, and protonated or neutral phenethylamine. A two-point interaction with the gel fibers is postulated to explain the results. The conclusions are obtained from nuclear magnetic resonance saturation transfer experiments (STD-NMR), illustrating how this technique is perfectly suited to monitor the interaction of substrates with the fibrillar network of a molecular gel.