Unit 1 Flashcards
assay
- process of determining amount of analyte in sample
analyte
- chemical substance being measured
signal
- observable change in some property
Advantages of visual detection
- low cost and maintenance
Disadvantages of visual detection
- subjectivity affects accuracy/precision
- may not be very sensitive
- may require large sample volumes
- often time-consuming
voltage
- electrical potential energy between two points
current
- rate of flow of charge past a point in a circuit (usually electrons moving)
transducer
- device that converts input stimulus into electrical output
Advantages of electrical detection
- objective
- often very sensitive
- often faster
- can analyze smaller sample sizes
Disadvantages of electrical detection
- high cost/maintenance
- calibration required
analog signal
- “real world”
- takes on any value
- transducer input signal
digital signal
- computer world
- recorded as bits
- discrete values
signal
-a measured quantity that is correlated to the amount of analyte
noise
- unwanted variation in a measured quantity
- often takes the form of random fluctuations in a measured signal
signal-to-noise ratio (S/N)
- the magnitude of the signal divided by the magnitude of the noise
- similar term: signal-to-background ratio
detection limit
-the amount of analyte that corresponds to a signal just greater than the mean of the background plus three standard deviations of its noise
background
-an approximately constant signal, measured in the absence of analyte
How can you increase S/N ratio?
- multiple scans
- signal averaging
Determine how many more scans are required to achieve a S/N ratio of 2?4?9?
N=4,16,81
Blank
- a measured sample that lacks the analyte
- contains solvent, reagents, etc. used in the analysis
sample matrix
- all the components of a sample except the analyte
- blank tries to approximate the sample matrix
positive control
- a standard sample that contains a known quantity of the analyte of interest
- prevents false negative results
negative control
- a standard sample that does not contain any analyte
- prevents false positive results
interference
a specific chemical substance in a sample matrix that causes a systematic error in a measured quantity
Which of the following combinations best matches the definition of analyte, sample matrix and blank? Pick all that apply.
(a) Glucose; Blood; Glucose
(b) Glucose; Blood; Synthetic blood
(c) Glucose; Blood; Saliva
(d) Glucose; Sucralose; Blood
(e) None of the above
(f) Lead and Mercury; Blood; Distilled water
(g) Saliva; Lead and Mercury; Saliva
(h) Steroid drugs; Urine; Synthetic Urine
(b) glucose; blood; synthetic blood
(h) Steroid drugs; Urine; Synthetic Urine
In a single-molecule fluorescence detection experiment, the average background was measured to be 330 cps ± 50 cps (±1 std. dev.). What must be the minimum magnitude of a signal burst to record detection of a single molecule?
(a) 180 cps
(b) 280 cps
(c) 330 cps
(d) 380 cps
(e) 480 cps
e) 480cps
How can interferences affect results?
- act on the analyte (or a measured form thereof)
- act on a reagent used in the detection method
- be the source of a large background signal
- cause negative/positive bias
- cause absolute/proportional errors
selectivity
- the extent to which other substances interfere with the determination of an analyte
- typically via reactivity/molecular interactions
good selectivity
analysis method has minimal interferences
poor selectivity
analysis method prone to certain interferences
masking agent
a reagent that prevents one or more components in a sample matrix from interfering with an analyte
What is the analytical signal, and possible interferences that would be found in colourimetric analyses via complexation?
- analytical signal: colour change upon complexation between analyte and reagent
- interference with analyte: matrix component complexing with analyte
- interference with reagent: matrix component complexing with reagent
- background interference: matrix component that adsorbs same wavelength of light as analytical complex