The ability to monitor analytes within physiological, environmental, and industrial scenarios is of prime importance in many scenarios. Chemists have striven to mimic nature's ability to produce robust chemosensors with the capacity to detect molecules and signal their presence. The covalent coupling interaction between boronic acids and saccharides has been exploited to monitor saccharides. The boronic acid-and Lewis acid base interaction is also suitable for the capture and recognition of anions, which are involved in fundamental processes in all living things.

There have been...