Abstract
Ginsenoside detection was pursued through the design of a porphyrin receptor containing two boronic acid units. This receptor was found to undergo different degrees of fluorescence quenching with five ginsenoside guests and an acylated derivative. The trends in the 1:1 binding constants, as well as ESI-HRMS analysis, support a binding mode in which the ginsenoside sugar units are bound to the boronic acid groups, while the steroid core and porphyrin ring participate in hydrophobic interactions.