Smartphones have a wide variety of features beyond undeniable everyday applications. In addition, gadgets published in 3-D are increasingly accessible and allow us to create not only undeniable parts, but also complete determination systems, as explained by Miguel Angel Aguirre, researcher in the Department of Analytical Chemistry, Nutrition and Bromatology of the AU. In this context, the device created through the team of Spanish and Argentine researchers is helping us lower prices and simplify technology. Its effect can be significant in places where no labs are available. In addition, you can generalize the use of portable and affordable detection instruments.
The paintings published as a hot article in the journal RSC Advances, published through the Royal Society of Chemistry in the United Kingdom.
This new multipurpose sensing formula is a choice for fast and accurate nefelometric and fluorometric measurements of soft drinks (tonics) and water samples. Compared to reference fluorimetric and nephelometric approaches, which require non-portable laboratory equipment, the proposed approach applies the same chemical reagents, offering a portable and inexpensive formula for on-site determinations, especially in regions with limited resources, as demonstrated by the AU researcher. .
In particular, the tests revealed the concentration of quinine in tonic beverages, as well as sulfate concentrations in drinking water samples below the maximum values permitted by Directive 98/83/EC of the European Council. The sulfate determination was made by nephelometry using a red LED, while quinine was taken in our mind using a blue LED with fluorimetry, said Miguel Angel Aguirre.
The device was developed using 3-D printing generation and using the smartphone’s camera to complete the determination. This formula offers great potential for on-site determinations of environmental, biochemical and food controls. The ability to have multiple radiation resources expands the imaginable programs of the formula by using only a smartphone’s camera as a capture device.
According to the researchers, there are no devices on the market lately. Some elements have been described in the clinical literature as having characteristics but the two types of analytical strategies do not arise: fluorimetric and nephelometric techniques.