RESUMEN
A potentiometric sensor system based on potassium ion-selective electrodes was developed for agricultural purposes. Sensors were built using PVC ion-selective membranes over an inner solid contact prepared with graphite-epoxy composites. A copper plate was used as a reference electrode. A two-stage electronic circuit composed of current and voltage amplifiers was designed to interface the sensors to a distributed data acquisition system. Three ion-selective sensors and three off-the-shelf temperature sensors and their associated circuits were mounted in a PVC tube to set up a soil probe. The electronic controls were placed in an airtight box fixed at the upper part of the probe. The system was evaluated in the field, where the sensors presented sensibility within the range of 69-71 mV dec(-)(1). Extracts of soil samples were analyzed by a current flame photometry approach, and the results, compared with the probe measurements, showed a linear relationship (r (2) = 0.992 and 0.995, respectively, to 5 and 20 cm depths), which implies viability and instrumentation reliability for agricultural applications.
Asunto(s)
Potasio/análisis , Potenciometría/instrumentación , Suelo/análisis , Electrodos de Iones SelectosRESUMEN
A biosensor for the detection of insecticides based on an ion-sensitive field-effect transistor (ISFET) was developed. The resulting device combines the simplicity of potentiometric sensors and the use of associated electronic systems as powerful tools for the acquisition and the processing of data. The enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE) was entrapped in a membrane placed on the gate of the ISFET forming an enzyme field-effect transistor (EnFET). The biosensor is applied to the determination of pesticides in spiked real samples. Organophosphorous and carbamate insecticides were measured with a detection limit of 10(-8) mol L(-1). The measurement is based on the production of hydrogen ions due to the hydrolysis of acetylthiocholine by the enzyme. The resulting local pH change is picked up by the underlying pH-sensitive ISFET and transduced as potential variations. The preparation of the membrane is simple and reproducible. The analysis in spiked real samples was performed in tap water and showed detection limits comparable to those obtained by other researchers.