Hydrophobic Pockets in a Nonpolymeric Aqueous Gel: Observation of such a Gelation Process by Color Change We thank the Jawaharlal Nehru Center for Advanced Scientific Research (Bangalore), and Mitokor, Inc. (San Diego) for supporting this work through unrestricted research grants.

Abstract

Efficient gelation of aqueous fluids by a novel tripodal trischolamide generates chiral hydrophobic pockets in the gel network. A yellow to green color change (see absorbance spectra) in the presence of bromophenol blue (BPBH) indicates the formation of the gel. The bound (anionic) dye (BPB^- ) shows induced circular dichroism, which is indicative of a chiral environment.