A new synthesis of underivatized gold nanoparticles (Au-NPs) in water stabilized by the highly water soluble 28-membered macrocyclic polyammonium chloride, [28]ane-(NH2+)(6)O-2 center dot 6Cl(-) (28-MCPAC) is reported. In addition to providing stability, 28-MCPAC with its cationic form functionalizes the Au-NPs for sensing anions in water. The 28-MCPAC-Au-NPs show a surface plasmon band in the visible region (>520 nm). By tuning the 28-MCPAC:HAuCl4 ratio, Au-NPs with different core diameters ranging from 4 nm to 6 nm, as determined by TEM analysis, can be obtained. Particles are spherical, discrete, and appeared to have narrow size distributions. Raman spectroscopy confirms that the physisorption is responsible for the interaction between Au-NP surface and 28-MCPAC. The potential of the as-synthesized particles for sensing monophosphorylated nucleosides (nucleotides): 5-adenosine monophosphate (5-AMP), 5-cytosine monophosphate (5-CMP), 5-guanine monophosphate (5-GMP), and 5-uridine monophosphate (5-UMP) is investigated spectroscopically. Nucleotides-assisted agglomerations of 28-MCPAC-Au-NPs follow the order: 5-UMP > 5-GMP > 5-CMP > 5-AMP. An attempt is taken to prepare Au-NPs in water at pH 4.55 Without an added stabilizer. Particles without an added stabilizer are short lived, and the TEM image shows that the particles aggregate following a quasi-two-dimensional self-assembly array. (c) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.