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Biomedical subjects

Eric Bakker

Publications and source records attributed to Eric Bakker.

34 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

A copolymerized dodecacarborane anion as covalently attached cation exchanger in ion-selective sensors.

The traditional cation exchangers used in ion-selective electrodes and optodes are tetraphenylborate derivatives, which are generally adequate for most analytical applications but may in some cases suffer from decomposition by acid hydrolysis, oxidants, and light. Recently, halogenated dodecacarboranes were found to be improved cation exchangers in terms of lipophilicity and chemical stability. This forms the basis for the convenient covalent attachment of the cation exchanger to the polymeric backbone of the sensing material. This is a challenge that has not satisfactorily been solved and which is especially important in view of developing ultraminiaturized sensing arrays. Here, a C-derivative of the closo-dodecacarborane anion (CB(11)H(12)(-)) with a polymerizable group was synthesized as a chemically stable cation exchanger. This new derivative was copolymerized with methyl methacrylate and decyl methacrylate (MMA-DMA) to fabricate a plasticizer-free polymer with cation-exchange properties. This polymer could be conveniently blended with traditional plasticized poly(vinyl chloride) or with noncrosslinked methacrylic polymers to give solvent cast films that appear to be clear and homogeneous and that could be doped with ionophores. Optode leaching experiments supported the covalent grafting of the carborane anions. Ion-selective membranes and optode thin films were evaluated in terms of response function, response time, and selectivity. In all cases, the new material exhibited behavior similar to free tetraphenylborate derivative-based membranes. As a result of these studies, an all-polymeric plasticizer-free calcium-selective membrane was fabricated on the basis of the covalently attached carborane, a recently introduced grafted calcium ionophore, and an MMA-DMA polymer matrix. The resulting ion-selective electrodes showed Nernstian response slopes and rapid response times, demonstrating that covalent grafting of all sensing components is a feasible approach to the development of ion sensors.

Algorithms↗

Reversible electrochemical detection of nonelectroactive polyions.

Selective extraction principles for the recognition of nonelectroactive polyions such as heparin and protamine exist, but the high ionic valency renders the extraction process irreversible. A response principle for the reversible detection of such polyions is proposed here. The extraction of the polyionic analyte to the membrane and its subsequent back-extraction is now controlled electrochemically. The principle is established with a protamine electrode, and excellent stability and reproducibility are demonstrated. This method has important implications for the design of chemical recognition principles for polyionic analytes.

Calibration↗

Pulsed galvanostatic control of ionophore-based polymeric ion sensors.

This paper describes a pulsed galvanostatic technique to interrogate ion-selective electrodes (ISEs) with no intrinsic ion-exchange properties. Each applied current pulse is followed by a longer baseline potential pulse to regenerate the phase boundary region of the ion-selective membrane. The applied current fully controls the magnitude and sign of the ion flux into the membrane, thus offering instrumental control over an effect that has become very important in ion-selective electrode research in recent years. The resulting chronopotentiometric response curves essentially mimic traditional ISE behavior, with apparently Nernstian response slopes and selectivities that can be described with the Nicolsky equation. Additionally, the magnitude and sign of the current pulse may be used to tune sensor selectivity. Perhaps most important, however, appears to be the finding that the extent of concentration polarization near the membrane surface can be accurately controlled by this technique. A growing number of potentiometric techniques are starting to make use of nonequilibrium principles, and the method introduced here may prove to be very useful to advance these areas of research. The basic characteristics of this pulsed galvanostatic technique are here evaluated with plasticized poly(vinyl chloride) membranes containing the sodium-selective ionophore tert-butyl calix[4]arene tetramethyl ester and a lipophilic inert salt.

Electric Conductivity↗

Improving the detection limit of anion-selective electrodes: an iodide-selective membrane with a nanomolar detection limit.

The lower detection limit and the selectivity behavior of anion-selective electrodes (ISEs) are improved by using optimized inner solutions and membrane compositions. With a membrane based on the recently described ionophore [9]mercuracarborand-3, a detection limit of 2 x 10(-9) M has been achieved for iodide. Nevertheless, the improvements are less pronounced than in the case of cation ISEs. This is mainly due to the fact that so far no anion ISE is known with the extremely high selectivities of cation ISEs. If the membrane does not contain an ionophore, leaching of the ion exchanger from the membrane into the sample is also a relevant limiting factor except for ion exchangers of very high lipophilicity.

Anions↗

Plasticizer-free polymer containing a covalently immobilized Ca2+-selective ionophore for potentiometric and optical sensors.

A derivative of a known Ca2+-selective ionophore, ETH 129, was synthesized to contain a polymerizable acrylic moiety (AU-1) and covalently grafted into a methyl methacrylate-co-decyl methacrylate polymer matrix. The polymer containing AU-1 was prepared via a simple one-step homogeneous polymerization method. It exhibited mechanical properties suitable for the fabrication of plasticizer-free ion-selective membrane electrodes and bulk optode films by solvent-casting and spin-coating techniques, respectively. The segmented sandwich membrane technique was utilized to assess the binding constant of free and covalently bound ionophores to calcium and to study their diffusion coefficients in the membrane phase. Diffusion was greatly diminished for the bound ionophore. This was confirmed in ion-selective electrode membranes containing no calcium ions in the inner solution, which should normally show apparent super-Nernstian response slopes in dilute calcium solutions. The response slope was Nernstian down to submicromolar concentration levels, indicating slow mass transport of calcium in the membrane. Optical-sensing films with the new copolymer matrix, unblended and blended with PVC-DOS, also confirmed that covalently bound ionophores are fully functional for maintaining selective ion extraction and binding properties of the sensing membrane.

Biosensing Techniques↗

Ion-pairing ability, chemical stability, and selectivity behavior of halogenated dodecacarborane cation exchangers in neutral carrier-based ion-selective electrodes.

Recently, it has been discovered that carba-closo-dodecaborates can be used as cation exchangers in neutral carrier-based ion-selective chemical sensors. Because of their inherent chemical stability and versatile functionalization chemistries, they offer many advantages that may potentially be exploited for ion analyses that require nontraditional sample conditions, including strongly acidic media. In this work, trimethylammonium salts of undecachlorinated (UCC), undecabrominated (UBC), hexabrominated (HBC), and undecaiodinated (UIC) carborane anions were prepared and evaluated for their potential use in solvent polymeric membrane-based sensors. Computational methods including Natural population analysis and electrostatic mapping were used to predict the ion-exchanging ability of each lipophilic anion. In addition, the sandwich membrane technique was used to evaluate the ion-pairing ability of each carborane anion in situ (i.e., within bis(2-ethylhexyl) sebacate (DOS)- and 2-nitrophenyl octyl ether (o-NPOE)-plasticized ISE membranes). The results of the computational and potentiometric studies found that binding affinity of the anions followed the generalized trend HBC > UCC > UBC > UIC. PVC-DOS bulk optode thin films containing the chromoionophore ETH 5315 and a respective anion were used to determine the chemical stability/lipophilicity of the carboranes and tetrakis[3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl] borate (TFPB) in acidic media (0.2 M HOAc) under flowing conditions. The studies found that in terms of stability/lipophilicity UIC > UBC > TFPB approximately UCC >> HBC. Electrodes containing a Pb(2+)-selective ionophore, tert-butylcalix[4]arene-tetrakis(N,N-dimethylthioacetamide)(lead IV), were used to evaluate the functionality of each cation exchanger. An evaluation of response characteristics such as slope and selectivity found that UIC and UBC were quite comparable to the behavior of TFPB. Interestingly, both UIC and UBC showed a marked selectivity improvement over cadmium, with log K(pot)(pb),(Cd) values of -7.19 and -7.29, respectively, with TFPB giving a value of -5.89. Demonstrating excellent stability and suitable electrostatic properties, the carboranes, UIC in particular, are a very promising alternative to the tetraphenylborates and should find widespread application in the field of chemical sensors.

Boranes↗

Mechanistic insights into the development of optical chloride sensors based on the [9]mercuracarborand-3 ionophore.

Fluorescent sensing microspheres based on perhaps the most selective and practically useful chloride ionophore known, the recently reported [9]mercuracarborand-3 (MC-3), have been prepared and optimized for physiological measurements. In initial work, this ionophore was shown to yield functional optical sensing films in combination with an electrically neutral chromoionophore, ETH 5418. Unfortunately, however, these optodes suffered from unacceptably high levels of sodium interference under physiological conditions. To better understand the sensing mechanism, optical and potentiometric binding experiments were used to characterize the stoichiometry and the complex formation constants for this ionophore. It was found that the preferred stoichiometry is 1:2, rather than 1:1 as assumed earlier. The 1:2 complex is extremely stable (logbeta2 = 13.4), but a relatively strong 1:1 complex also exists (log K1 = 9.9). These characteristics were used to fabricate chloride optodes that make use of the stepwise ion-ionophore decomplexation equilibrium, by adding a calculated amount of lipophilic anion exchanger to the polymer film. Such optodes showed dramatically reduced sodium interference while maintaining the excellent selectivity of the traditional formulation. The optimized composition also shifted the measuring range to physiological conditions, making them useful for the assessment of chloride in undiluted and 10-fold-diluted blood at pH 7.4. After necessary alterations of the particle preparation procedure and sensor formulation, the new insights were used to fabricate mass-produced optical sensing microspheres with characteristics essentially identical to those of the optode sensing films.

Chlorides↗

Mass-produced lonophore-based fluorescent microspheres for trace level determination of lead ions.

The development and characterization of small, uniform, and mass-produced plasticized PVC-based sensing microspheres in view of rapid trace level analysis of lead ions is reported. Micrometer-sized particles obtained via an automated casting process were rendered selective for lead ions by doping them with highly selective components in a manner analogous to traditional optode sensing films. Single particles that contained the lipophilic ionophore N,N,N',N'-tetradodecyl-3-6-dioxaoctane-1-thio-8-oxodiamide (ETH 5493), the chromoionophore ETH 5418 together with a lipophilized indocarbocyanine derivative as internal reference dye (DiIC18), and lipophilic ion-exchanger sites sodium tetrakis[3,5-bistrifluoromethylphenyl]borate, yielded measurable lead responses at the low nanomolar level in pH buffered solutions. The detection limit for single particles was 3 x 10(-9) M at pH 5.7. The microspheres were fabricated via a reproducible formation of polymer droplets within a flowing aqueous phase followed by collection of spherical particles of approximately 13 microm in size. The particles were immobilized and assayed individually in a microflow cell via fluorescence microscopy. Selectivity patterns found were in agreement with those reported earlier for the lead-selective ligand ETH 5493, and all response functions were fully described by theory. In contrast to optode films that necessitated very long equilibration times and large sample volumes in diluted samples of analyte, particles exhibited extremely enhanced equilibrium response times. Thus, for lead sample concentrations at and above 5 x 10(-8) M, response times were approximately 3 min, whereas at the detection limit, complete equilibrium was recorded after just 15 min, with required sample volumes on the order of 1 mL This new class of microspheres appears to be suitable for rapid and sensitive ion detection at trace levels in environmental and biological applications.

Algorithms↗

Flow cytometric ion detection with plasticized poly(vinyl chloride) microspheres containing selective lonophores.

The use of flow cytometry as a rapid, high-throughput diagnostic tool for the analysis of ions is described. Monodisperse, uniform microspheres, which obey bulk optode theory and are governed by bulk extraction processes rather than surface phenomena, were prepared under mild, nonreactive conditions using a sonic stream particle casting apparatus. As an initial example demonstrating the utility of this approach, microspheres that contained a H+-selective fluorescent chromoionophore (ETH 5294), a cation-exchanger (NaTFPB), and either a highly sodium-selective (sodium ionophore X) or a potassium-selective ionophore (BME-44) were prepared. Separate solution analysis of sodium- and potassium-selective microspheres resulted in the generation of functional response curves using peak channel fluorescence intensities. The selectivity observed for both types of particles is sufficient for the clinical determination of Na+ and K+. Furthermore, sodium- and potassium-selective microspheres were analyzed in parallel using sodium sample solutions, resulting in the successful determination of sodium ion concentrations and providing important information about the selectivity of the potassium-selective sensors over sodium. This work demonstrates the potential applicability of flow cytometry as a means for developing multiplexed, rapid, high-throughput analyses for clinically relevant ions.

Flow Cytometry↗

Rational design of potentiometric trace level ion sensors. A Ag+-selective electrode with a 100 ppt detection limit.

Submicromolar to picomolar lower detection limits have recently been obtained with various polymer membrane ion-selective electrodes by minimizing biases due to ion fluxes through the membrane. For the best performance, the compositions of the membrane and inner solution should be optimized for each application. Given the number of parameters to be adjusted, it has been difficult to find the best parameters for a target sample. In this paper, a much simplified and more practical steady-state model of zero-current ion fluxes is derived, which is based on measurable parameters. The model allows one to predict achievable lower detection limits for a membrane with given selectivities. It can also be used to predict the optimal composition of the inner filling solution for the measurement of samples with a known, typical ionic background. Selectivity coefficients of monovalent and divalent analyte ions required for desired detection limits in drinking water are calculated. As an application of the proposed general recipe, a silver-selective electrode is developed on the basis of the ionophore O,O''-bis[2-(methylthio)ethyl]-tert-butylcalix[4]arene. With the predicted optimal composition of the inner electrolyte, its lower detection limit is found to be 10(-9) M or 100 ppt Ag+ with an ionic background of 10(-5) M LiNO3, which is very close to the expected value.

Cations, Divalent↗

Evaluation of the separate equilibrium processes that dictate the upper detection limit of neutral ionophore-based potentiometric sensors.

The upper detection limit of polar ionophore-based ion-selective electrode membranes is predicted by utilizing the coextraction constant of dissociated electrolyte, the stability constant of the ionophore, and the membrane composition. The coextraction constant of dissociated electrolytes into the polar poly(vinyl chloride) membrane plasticized with o-nitrophenyl octyl ether (PVC-NPOE) is here measured by a novel approach. The sandwich membrane technique is utilized, with one membrane segment containing a lipophilic cation exchanger and the other containing an anion exchanger. This yields information about the coextraction constant and the free ion concentrations of the electrolyte in the two segments. Predictions correlate quantitatively with the upper detection limit observed for ion-selective electrodes based on the ionophores valinomycin, tert-butylcalix[4]arene tetraethyl ester, and calcimycin. The difficulties of the prediction of the upper detection limit for nonpolar poly(vinyl chloride) membranes plasticized with bis(2-ethylhexyl sebacate) (PVC-DOS) due to ion association are discussed in detail. A thermodynamic cycle experiment with a series of sandwich membranes shows that the principal processes governing the upper detection limit of PVC-DOS membranes are identical to those for the PVC-NPOE membranes. However, the stability of the ion pairs between the ionophore-metal ion complexes and the extracted anion are different from that of ion pairs formed between the same anion and the lipophilic anion exchanger. This makes it difficult to quantitatively predict the upper detection limit on the basis of simple apparent coextraction and complexation data alone. The approach reported herein is useful not only for mechanistic purposes but also to shed light onto the many cases where coextraction effects need to be understood but are not directly experimentally accessible.

Algorithms↗

Perbrominated closo-dodecacarborane anion, 1-HCB11Br11-, as an ion exchanger in cation-selective chemical sensors.

The 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,1 1,12-undecabromocarborane anion, 1-HCB11Br11- (UBC-) has been evaluated for its suitability as an ion exchanger in solvent polymeric membrane electrodes and bulk optodes. Experiments comparing the chemical stability of the perhalogenated carborane anion to that of the best lipophilic tetraphenylborate, 3,5-[bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]borate (TFPB-), demonstrated that in the presence of 0.2 M acetic acid TFPB- was completely lost within 6 h, while the concentration of UBC- decreased by less than 10% in the same time period. Thin-film bulk optodes containing BME-44 as potassium-selective ionophore, ETH 5294 as chromo-ionophore, and UBC- as ionic sites exhibited a K+ response similar to analogous optodes containing TFPB-, with comparable selectivities over Na+ and Ca2+. Potentiometric measurements evaluating the selectivity behavior of UBC- in both ionophore-free and ionophore-containing electrodes were performed. Ionophore-free PVC membranes containing UBC- as ion exchanger and either DOS or NPOE as plasticizer also demonstrated selectivity similar to TFPB--containing membranes. Sodium-selective membranes containing the ionophore 4-tert-butylcalix[4]arenetetraacetic acid tetraethyl ester (sodium ionophore X) and UBC- as ionic sites showed a Nernstian response for sodium and selectivity comparable to that found in analogous electrodes containing TFPB-.

Boranes↗