New Approach for a Rapid, Easy, and Highly Sensitive Arsenic Test using Nanotechnology
Summary posted by Meridian on 11/25/2009
Source: AZoNano.com
Author: n/a
Researchers at Jackson State University, United States, have developed a new approach for a rapid, easy and highly sensitive arsenic test. Arsenic poisoning from contaminated groundwater affects about 140 million people worldwide. Current techniques for analyzing arsenic concentrations in drinking water are time consuming and require a series of enrichment steps. The new method involves attaching special organic molecules to the surface of gold nanoparticles, which then act as "ligands" for arsenic, meaning they form a complex with it. The gold particles clump together, with the number of aggregates based on the arsenic concentration in the water. The color of the gold nanoparticles in a liquid depends on their size, with the arsenic-free gold nanoparticles appearing red and arsenic-induced aggregation causing the color to change to blue. The method can detect arsenic in drinking water down to concentrations of three parts per trillion. The team has reported their findings in the journal Angewandte Chemie. The article can be viewed online at the link below.
The original article may still be available at www.azonano.com/news.asp?newsID=14827
As tagged by Meridian Institute:
Implications:
Human Enhancement, Human Health Risks, Socio-Economic Effects
Nanomaterials:
Metal Nanoparticle
Regions:
North America
Stakeholders:
Academia
Water And Sanitation:
Purification, Quality
Minerals And Metals:
Metals
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