An amperometric flow biosensor for oxalate determination in urine samples after enzymatic reaction with oxalate oxidase immobilized on a modified magnetic solid is described. The solid was magnetically retained on the electrode surface of an electrode modified with Fe (III)-tris-(2-thiopyridone) borate placed into a sequential injection system preceding the amperometric detector. The variables involved in the system such as flow rate, aspired volumes (modified magnetic suspension and sample) and reaction coil length were evaluated using a Taguchi parameter design. Under optimal conditions, the calibration curve of oxalate was linear between 3.0–50.0 mg·L⁻¹, with a limit of detection of 1.0 mg·L⁻¹. The repeatability for a 30.0 mg·L⁻¹ oxalate solution was 0.7%. The method was validated by comparing the obtained results to those provided by the spectrophotometric method; no significant differences were observed. Full article

This study conducts an experimental study concerning the improvement of nozzle/diffuser micropump design using some novel no-moving-part valves. A total of three micropumps, including two enhancement structures having two-fin or obstacle structure and one conventional micro nozzle/diffuser design, are made and tested in this study. It is found that dramatic increase of the pressure drops across the designed micro nozzles/diffusers are seen when the obstacle or fin structure is added. The resultant maximum flow rates are 47.07 mm³/s and 53.39 mm³/s, respectively, for the conventional micro nozzle/diffuser and the added two-fin structure in micro nozzle/diffuser operated at a frequency of 400 Hz. Yet the mass flow rate for two-fin design surpasses that of conventional one when the frequency is below 425 Hz but the trend is reversed with a further increase of frequency. This is because the maximum efficiency ratio improvement for added two-fin is appreciably higher than the other design at a lower operating frequency. In the meantime, despite the efficiency ratio of the obstacle structure also reveals a similar trend as that of two-fin design, its significant pressure drop (flow resistance) had offset its superiority at low operating frequency, thereby leading to a lesser flow rate throughout the test range. Full article

The kinetics of CO₂ uptake by the cis-[Cr(C₂O₄)(BaraNH₂)(OH₂)₂]⁺ complex cation and the acid hydrolysis of the cis-[Cr(C₂O₄)(BaraNH₂)OCO₂]⁻ complex anion (where BaraNH₂ denotes methyl 3-amino-2,3-dideoxy-b-D-arabino-hexopyranoside) were studied using the stopped-flow technique. The reactions under study were investigated in aqueous solution in the 288–308 K temperature range. In the case of the reaction between CO₂ and cis-[Cr(C₂O₄)(BaraNH₂)(OH₂)₂]⁺ cation variable pH values (6.82–8.91) and the constant ionic strength of solution (H⁺, Na⁺, ClO₄⁻ = 1.0) were used. Carbon dioxide was generated by the reaction between sodium pyruvate and hydrogen peroxide. The acid hydrolysis of cis-[Cr(C₂O₄)(BaraNH₂)OCO₂]⁻ was investigated for varying concentrations of H⁺ ions (0.01–2.7 M). The obtained results enabled the determination of the number of steps of the studied reactions. Based on the kinetic equations, rate constants were determined for each step. Finally, mechanisms for both reactions were proposed and discussed. Based on the obtained results it was concluded that the carboxylation (CO₂ uptake) reactions of cis-[Cr(C₂O₄)(BaraNH₂)(OH₂)₂]⁺ and the decarboxylation (acid hydrolysis) of the cis-[Cr(C₂O₄)(BaraNH₂)OCO₂]⁻ are the opposite of each other. Full article

We describe a new method using flow-injection analysis with spectro-photometric detection, suitable for the determination of N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC). The proposed method is appropriate for the determination of NAC in reaction with Pd²⁺ ions in the concentration range from 1.0 × 10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹ to 6.0 × 10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹. The detection limit NAC was 5.84 × 10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹ and the recorded relative standard deviation of the method is in the range from 1.67 to 4.11%. NAC and Pd²⁺ form complexes of Pd²⁺:NAC molar ratios of 1:1 and 1:2, depending on the ratio of their analytical concentrations. The cumulative conditional stability constant for the Pd(NAC)₂²⁺ complex is β₁₂' = 2.69 × 10⁹ L² mol⁻². The proposed method was compared with the classic spectrophotometric determination of NAC, using the same reagent, PdCl₂, and had shown certain advantages: a) shorter analysis time; b) the use of smaller volumes of sample and reagents, which make the proposed method cheaper and faster for NAC determination in real samples without sample pretreatment. Full article

Bacterial biofilms—aggregations of bacterial cells and extracellular polymeric substrates (EPS)—are an important subject of research in the fields of biology and medical science. Under aquatic conditions, bacterial cells form biofilms as a mechanism for improving survival and dispersion. In this review, we discuss bacterial biofilm development as a structurally and dynamically complex biological system and propose microfluidic approaches for the study of bacterial biofilms. Biofilms develop through a series of steps as bacteria interact with their environment. Gene expression and environmental conditions, including surface properties, hydrodynamic conditions, quorum sensing signals, and the characteristics of the medium, can have positive or negative influences on bacterial biofilm formation. The influences of each factor and the combined effects of multiple factors may be addressed using microfluidic approaches, which provide a promising means for controlling the hydrodynamic conditions, establishing stable chemical gradients, performing measurement in a high-throughput manner, providing real-time monitoring, and providing in vivo-like in vitro culture devices. An increased understanding of biofilms derived from microfluidic approaches may be relevant to improving our understanding of the contributions of determinants to bacterial biofilm development. Full article

The dawn of the new millennium saw a trend towards the dedicated use of microfluidic devices for process intensification in biotechnology. As the last decade went by, it became evident that this pattern was not a short-lived fad, since the deliverables related to this field of research have been consistently piling-up. The application of process intensification in biotechnology is therefore seemingly catching up with the trend already observed in the chemical engineering area, where the use of microfluidic devices has already been upgraded to production scale. The goal of the present work is therefore to provide an updated overview of the developments centered on the use of microfluidic devices for process intensification in biotechnology. Within such scope, particular focus will be given to different designs, configurations and modes of operation of microreactors, but reference to similar features regarding microfluidic devices in downstream processing will not be overlooked. Engineering considerations and fluid dynamics issues, namely related to the characterization of flow in microchannels, promotion of micromixing and predictive tools, will also be addressed, as well as reflection on the analytics required to take full advantage of the possibilities provided by microfluidic devices in process intensification. Strategies developed to ease the implementation of experimental set-ups anchored in the use of microfluidic devices will be briefly tackled. Finally, realistic considerations on the current advantages and limitation on the use of microfluidic devices for process intensification, as well as prospective near future developments in the field, will be presented. Full article

This review summarizes recent advances in microflow photochemical technologies and transformations. The portfolio of reactions comprises homogeneous and heterogeneous types, among them photoadditions, photorearrangements, photoreductions, photodecarboxylations, photooxygenations and photochlorinations. While microflow photochemistry is most commonly employed as a micro-scale synthesis tool, scale-up and technical production processes have already been developed. Full article