Phosphoester hydrolysis by cerium(IV)-thiacalix[4]arene complexes and its application to immunoassay.

Thiacalix[4]arenetetrasulfonate was treated with Ce(IV) in water at pH 9.5 to give novel phosphoester-hydrolyzing complexes. The dinuclear Ce(IV) complex promoted the hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl phosphate with a turnover frequency of 6.8 h(-1) at 50 degrees C, showing fourfold higher activity than the mononuclear complex. The dinuclear complex was readily immobilized onto an antibody by simply mixing them in water, hence its phosphatase-like activity was applied to the color-developing reaction in immunoassay. The model assay using an antibody labeled with the dinuclear complex allowed the detection of as little as 10 ng mL(-1) of a tumor marker, Bence-Jones protein, in a 96-well microtiter plate format. Analysis of urine for Bence-Jones protein was performed by the proposed method.