scieee Science in your language
[en] (orig)

Development of a Reliable Device for ‘Fluorokinetic’ Analysis Based on a Portable Diode Array MEMS Fluorimeter

Abstract

A device was developed to study the evolution of fluorescence spectra as a function of time. A previously designed fluorimeter based on the diode array mini-spectrometer CM12880MA was used. The control and measurement were carried out by programming a SAM21D microcontroller. Considerations regarding the optimization of acquisition speed, memory, and computer interface have been analyzed and optimized. As a result, a very versatile device with great adaptability, reduced dimensions, portability, and a low budget (under EUR 500) has been built. The sensitivity, controlled by the integration time of the photodiodes, can be adjusted between 10 µs and 20 s, thus allowing sampling times ranging from 10 ms to more than 10 h. Under these conditions, chemical rate constants from 20 s−1 to 10−8 s−1 can be experimentally determined. It has a very wide operating range for the kinetic rate constant determination, over six orders of magnitude. As proof of the system performance, the oxidation reaction of Thiamine in a basic medium to form fluorescent Thiochrome has been employed. The evolution of the emission spectrum has been followed, and the decomposition rate constant has been measured at 2.1 × 10−3 s−1, a value which matches those values reported in the literature for this system. A Thiochrome calibration curve has also been performed, obtaining a detection limit of 13 nM, consistent with literature data. Additionally, the stability of Thiochrome has been tested, being the photo-decomposition rate constants 1.8 × 10−4 s−1 and 3.0 × 10−7 s−1, in the presence and absence of UV light (365 nm), respectively. Finally, experiments have been designed to obtain, in a single measurement, the values of both rate constants: the formation of Thiochrome from Thiamine and its photo-decomposition under UV light to a non-fluorescent product. The rate constant values obtained are in good agreement with those previously obtained through independent experiments under the same experimental conditions. These results show that, under these conditions, Thiochrome can be considered an unstable intermediate in a chemical reaction with successive stages.

Read accessible full text

Development of a Reliable Device for ‘Fluorokinetic’ Analysis Based on a Portable Diode Array MEMS Fluorimeter

Author: González Arjona, Domingo; López Pérez, Germán
Publisher: Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)
Year: 2025
DOI: 10.3390/chemosensors13040128
Source: https://idus.us.es/bitstreams/0088fc9e-4f39-4a25-87a5-a03464fb6e29/download
Recei ed: 3 Ma ch 2025
Re ised: 25 Ma ch 2025
Accep ed: 28 Ma ch 2025
Published: 3 Ap il 2025
Ci a ion: González-A jona, D.;
López-Pé ez, G. De elopmen o a
Reliable De ice o ‘Fluo okine ic’
Analysis Based on a Po able Diode
A ay MEMS Fluo ime e . Chemosenso s
2025,13, 128. h ps://doi.o g/
10.3390/chemosenso s13040128
Copy igh : © 2025 by he au ho s.
Licensee MDPI, Basel, Swi ze land.
This a icle is an open access a icle
dis ibu ed unde he e ms and
condi ions o he C ea i e Commons
A ibu ion (CC BY) license
(h ps://c ea i ecommons.o g/
licenses/by/4.0/).
A icle
De elopmen o a Reliable De ice o ‘Fluo okine ic’ Analysis
Based on a Po able Diode A ay MEMS Fluo ime e
Domingo González-A jona * and Ge mán López-Pé ez
Depa men o Physical Chemis y, Facul y o Chemis y, Uni e si y o Se illa, C/P o . Ga cía González 1,
E-41012 Se illa, Spain; [email p o ec ed]
*Co espondence: [email p o ec ed]; Tel.: +34-954557175
Abs ac : A de ice was de eloped o s udy he e olu ion o luo escence spec a as a unc-
ion o ime. A p e iously designed luo ime e based on he diode a ay mini-spec ome e
CM12880MA was used. The con ol and measu emen we e ca ied ou by p og amming a
SAM21D mic ocon olle . Conside a ions ega ding he op imiza ion o acquisi ion speed,
memo y, and compu e in e ace ha e been analyzed and op imized. As a esul , a e y
e sa ile de ice wi h g ea adap abili y, educed dimensions, po abili y, and a low budge
(unde EUR 500) has been buil . The sensi i i y, con olled by he in eg a ion ime o he
pho odiodes, can be adjus ed be ween 10
µ
s and 20 s, hus allowing sampling imes anging
om 10 ms o mo e han 10 h. Unde hese condi ions, chemical a e cons an s om 20 s
−1
o 10
−8
s
−1
can be expe imen ally de e mined. I has a e y wide ope a ing ange o he
kine ic a e cons an de e mina ion, o e six o de s o magni ude. As p oo o he sys em
pe o mance, he oxida ion eac ion o Thiamine in a basic medium o o m luo escen
Thioch ome has been employed. The e olu ion o he emission spec um has been ollowed,
and he decomposi ion a e cons an has been measu ed a 2.1
×
10
−3
s
−1
, a alue which
ma ches hose alues epo ed in he li e a u e o his sys em. A Thioch ome calib a-
ion cu e has also been pe o med, ob aining a de ec ion limi o 13 nM, consis en wi h
li e a u e da a. Addi ionally, he s abili y o Thioch ome has been es ed, being he pho o-
decomposi ion a e cons an s 1.8
×
10
−4
s
−1
and 3.0
×
10
−7
s
−1
, in he p esence and absence
o UV ligh (365 nm), espec i ely. Finally, expe imen s ha e been designed o ob ain, in
a single measu emen , he alues o bo h a e cons an s: he o ma ion o Thioch ome
om Thiamine and i s pho o-decomposi ion unde UV ligh o a non- luo escen p oduc .
The a e cons an alues ob ained a e in good ag eemen wi h hose p e iously ob ained
h ough independen expe imen s unde he same expe imen al condi ions. These esul s
show ha , unde hese condi ions, Thioch ome can be conside ed an uns able in e media e
in a chemical eac ion wi h successi e s ages.
Keywo ds: luo escence; chemical kine ic; MEMS spec ome e ; po able de ice;
mic ocon olle
;
Thiamine; Thioch ome; cos e ec i e
1. In oduc ion
This s udy ocusses on he de elopmen o a sys em capable o pe o ming luo okine -
ics analysis by using a Mic o-Elec o-Mechanical Sys em (MEMS)-based mini-spec ome e ,
adap ed as a luo ime e , con olled and ope a ed by a mic ocon olle . The de ice is p o-
g ammed unde he open-sou ce so wa e decla a ion (FOSS) [
1
]. As an ini ial applica ion,
a kine ic s udy o he e olu ion o he luo escen p oduc p oduced in he oxida ion o
Thiamine (TA) has been ca ied ou .
Chemosenso s 2025,13, 128 h ps://doi.o g/10.3390/chemosenso s13040128
Chemosenso s 2025,13, 128 2 o 16
The applica ion o he phenomenon o luo escence con inues o be a subjec o cu en
in e es in scien i ic publica ions. The e a e nume ous applica ions in he li e a u e o he
de elopmen o luo escen ma ke s, which ha e applica ions in di e se ields, anging om
he de elopmen o luo escen p o ein-based biosenso s ha allow o he moni o ing o
physiological p ocesses [
2
–
4
] o he moni o ing and de ec ion o con amina ion in en i onmen al
wa e , ood samples, and pes icide esidues [
5
–
7
]. Some o hese applica ions use luo okine ics
me hods combined wi h chemome ics o he de ec ion o cance oxins [
8
]. The wo ldwide
economic impac ela i e o luo escen de ec ion de ices is eally impo an in many indus ial
applica ions. Thus, he ood indus y is p ojec ed o each EUR 20 billion in 2025 [
9
], pes icide
and wa e pollu an analyses a e es ima ed o be wo h abou EUR 1.5 billion annually [
10
], and
wa e managemen is expec ed o each app oxima ely EUR 4.5 billion in 2027 [11,12].
Kine ic luo ome y is also used in he s udy o pho osyn hesis using a echnique called
delayed luo escence using a - ed ligh o exci a ion. Response imes ypically ange om
milliseconds o se e al minu es [
13
]. Recen ly, s a egies ha e been de eloped o imaging
applica ions o luo escen p obes o ATP [
14
], which use longe exci a ion and emission
wa eleng hs ha allow o de ec ion in deep biological samples. In his ield, a e y p omising
luo escen p obe (Bio-SiR) has been p esen ed o he eal- ime imaging o ATP in cance cells,
which is a si- hodamine-based luo opho e [
15
]. I is p esen ed as he i s umo - a ge ing (nea
IR) molecule luo escen p obe o endogenous ATP imaging in eal ime o umo -bea ing mice.
The basic ins umen (ha dwa e) and a p oposed p og am (so wa e) o kine ic measu e-
men s o luo escence spec a a e discussed in his wo k. The de elopmen is ounded mainly
on s udies [
16
,
17
] and he e e ences he ein. Bo h pape s cons i u e he undamen als o he
p oposed sys em, he o me ocusing mainly on ha dwa e equi emen s and he la e on
so wa e basics. The ini ial ad an ages a e ob iously he high ep oducibili y and sensi i i y
al eady demons a ed, he low budge , and po abili y. A new s ep has been aken o de elop
an inexpensi e, po able, and simple diode a ay kine ic luo ime e . Thus, i is possible o
ake ad an age o he bene i s and minimize he d awbacks poin ed ou in he bibliog aphy
(open sou ce, s abili y, sensi i i y, eliabili y, cos , e c.). Mo e speci ically, i is necessa y o
de elop a sys em capable o eco ding luo escence spec a wi h an acquisi ion equency as
wide as possible, minimizing di icul ies de i ed om he slowness in ob aining and s o ing
he measu ed spec a. The p e ious pape p oposes he use o a de elopmen boa d based
on he ATSAMD21G18 [
18
] mic ocon olle o he acquisi ion and con ol o he Hamama su
CA12880MA [
19
] diode a ay spec ome e . The de eloped so wa e was applied o s a iona y
measu emen s o luo escen samples, spec a, and s a ic quan i a i e de e mina ions. The ime
a iable is only employed o he con ol o he spec ome e lines and he ime ha exci a ion
ligh is on, allowing a e y la ge sensi i i y ange. The second pape es ablished he basis o
bo h he ex e nal pa ame e e i ica ion (con olled by using a sp eadshee ) and o he p ecise
ime con ol du ing he measu emen . The add-on mac o so wa e embedded in he sp eadshee
o he con ol o he sys em has been kep and is based on Pa allax Da a Acquisi ion Tools
Release 2B [20] bu using a newe , mo e e sa ile and use - iendly e sion [21].
To e i y he use ulness and eliabili y o he p oposed de ice, i amin B1 o Thia-mine
(TM) has been chosen as a s a ing compound ac ing as a luo escen p ecu so . TM is an
essen ial i amin o human beings, he de iciency o which p oduces he well-known “be ibe i”
synd ome. I mainly a ec s he ne ous and ca dio ascula sys ems when blood le els a e in
he ange o 9–14 nmol/L [
22
]. In he li e a u e, many analy ical me hods can be employed
o TM in es iga ions, such as colo ime ic, luo escence, elec ochemical, chemiluminescence,
elec ochemiluminescence, HPLC, op ical de ec ion by using nanopa icle me hods, e c. [
23
].
The de e mina ion o TM and ela ed compounds ia luo escence has been widely desc ibed
in he li e a u e o mo e han 80 yea s [
24
]. I s sensi i i y and speci ici y ha e been used o
de elop me hods o he de e mina ion o o he compounds ha eac wi h Thiamine [
25
], and
Chemosenso s 2025,13, 128 3 o 16
e en speci ic de ec o s ha e been de eloped o i s de e mina ion [
26
,
27
]. Ryan e al. [
28
,
29
]
de eloped and exhaus i ely desc ibed a kine ic me hod o he analy ical de e mina ion o TM,
which is he me hodological basis o he p esen wo k. Thei me hodology is so well ounded
ha i has been he subjec o unde g adua e eaching ma e ial [
30
]. E en mo e ecen ly, he e
has been some in e es in he s udy o he oxida ion o TM o o m luo escen compounds,
such as Thioch ome (TC) [
23
,
31
,
32
]. The kine ic beha io o hese compounds p o ides a
sui able amewo k o es ing he e sa ili y and limi s o he luo okine ic de ice p esen ed
in his s udy. I o e s many ad an ages in his ield, such as a high sensi i i y o luo escence
measu emen s, as acquisi ion imes, low cos , g ea po abili y, and ull sp eadshee in eg a ion
o expe imen al da a analysis. The esul s a e compa ed wi h hose published in he li e a u e
o e alua e he sys em’s o e all pe o mance.
2. Ma e ials and Me hods
2.1. Expe imen al
Analy ical-g ade chemicals we e pu chased om Sigma Ald ich: Thiamine hyd ochlo-
ide (CAS 67-03-8), Na
3
PO
4·
12H
2
O (CAS 10101-89-0), Na
2
HPO
4
(CAS 7558-79-4), sodium
hyd oxide (CAS 1310-73-2), hyd ochlo ic acid (CAS 7647-01-0) and me cu y (II) chlo ide
(CAS 7487-94-7). Wa e was pu i ied using a Millipo e sys em (Milli-Q Re e ence model),
and all measu emen s we e pe o med a 22
±
2
◦
C. Hellma Sup asil p ecision qua z cells
( ype 101-QS) wi h a ligh pa h o 10 mm we e used o expe imen al measu emen s.
Figu e 1shows a pic u e o he p oposed de ice wi h he main componen s o he sys em.
As can be no ed, i is a po able de ice wi h small dimensions (120 mm
×
80 mm
×
60 mm),
wi h an o e all weigh o 0.4 Kg. As exci a ion sou ces, i con ains an LED (365 nm) and a lase
diode (405 nm), which is included in he G oupGe s boa d 1. The Hamma su C12880MA
has 15 nm o spec al esolu ion and a wa eleng h ange om 340 o 850 nm, allowing one o
acqui e 288 spec um poin s. The cell compa men has a s anda d size o 10 mm wide.
Figu e 1. Image o he p oposed de ice showing he main componen s o he sys em: (a) luo ime e
box, (b) cell and mi o s compa men , (c) cell cap, (d) USB connec ion cable, (e) G oupGe s b eakou
( .1), Hamama su C12880MA spec ome e and ( ) mic ocon olle ATSAMD21G18 boa d. The Eu o
coin is included o size e e ence.
Chemosenso s 2025,13, 128 4 o 16
2.2. ATSAMD21G18 Mic ocon olle Ha dwa e
The cha ac e is ics o he mic ocon olle selec ed in e ms o p ocessing speed,
clock equency (CLK), and in e nal 32 kB SRAM memo y a e in e es ing. Howe e , wo
majo di icul ies we e encoun e ed a he beginning. Fi s ly, he p ocess o ob ain he
in e nally s o ed da a, using he common ead mode, was pa icula ly slow. Secondly,
he a ailable mic ocon olle memo y is limi ed o s o ing he di e en spec a o a
kine ic p ocess. Fu he mo e, in he measu emen p ocess, he e was no possibili y
o educe he noise le el by a e aging wi hou sac i icing i s speed. S a egies o
accele a ing da a acquisi ion, a e aging, and memo y op imiza ion will be explained
in he ollowing sec ions.
Mo e de ailed in o ma ion on hese aspec s can be ound in he Supplemen a y Ma e ials.
2.3. Speeding up he So wa e Code o “analogRead”
Despi e all he ad an ages men ioned in ela ion o he selec ed mic ocon olle ,
he e was an added di icul y wi h he speed o p ocessing he “analogRead” ins uc-
ion, when he de aul compila ion o he high-le el language is employed. This
ins uc ion uses he mic ocon olle analog- o-digi al con e e (ADC) and is essen ial
o eading/s o ing he ligh in ensi y alues o each wa eleng h. A compa a i e
speed s udy o he h ee mic ocon olle s (UNO, 2560, and ZERO) using he compiled
ins uc ion was pe o med o ob ain a comple e spec um o 288 wa eleng h (WL) da a.
The ime equi ed o he i s wo boa ds was abou 37 ms, bu , inc edibly, o he
ZERO boa d, i was abou 250 ms. Undoub edly, he compile used o ansla e he
ins uc ion o his boa d was ine icien and, wi h his iming, he use o he di ec
compiled ins uc ion o ZERO makes i useless o kine ics pu poses. Fo una ely, his
speed issue was poin ed ou on di e en in e ne o ums. On he A duino o um, an
example code o “speeding-up” he analog- o-digi al con e e (ADC) compila ion
was p esen ed [
33
]. This code in ol ed speci ic po con ol o he SAM21D analog- o-
digi al con e e (mo e in o ma ion is a ailable in he Supplemen a y Ma e ials). The
ime equi ed o e ie ing a whole spec um a ies om 8 ms o an a e age o wo
samples o 89 ms o an a e age o 64 samples. A s udy o he e o associa ed wi h he
numbe o a e ages shows ha he s anda d de ia ion is lowe , and he absolu e e o
changes i s sign o an a e age be ween 32 and 64 samples.
2.4. Timing Con ol
One o he mos impo an ad an ages o mic ocon olle s is he p ecise and as
ime con ol. In e nal ime s can be se up o ob ain he numbe o mic oseconds o
milliseconds elapsed since hey we e igge ed. The ime equi ed o pe o m a mea-
su emen p ocess in ol es di e en asks, and each one has i s own ime consump ion.
To pe o m one single measu emen and con ol he lines o he C12880MA, his p ocess
is ully desc ibed in he p e ious pape . The main di e ence is he as e p ocedu e
desc ibed in Sec ion 2.3. Nex , he selec ed numbe o da a poin s mus be s o ed in
he da a ma ix. To ead a new measu emen , he p og am checks whe he he selec ed
sample ime is o e . I he gap ime is la ge enough, he p og am w i es in o Excel and
plo s one WL selec ed alue o check he measu emen e olu ion. Once he gap ime is
o e , he sequence is epea ed un il i eaches he numbe o measu emen s selec ed.
Fo checking pu poses, hose ime alues can be expo ed o Excel by checking he
‘Debug mode’ box in he PLX-DAQ con olle add-on.
A de ailed desc ip ion o he iming p ocess can be ound in he Supplemen a y Ma e ials.
Chemosenso s 2025,13, 128 5 o 16
2.5. Memo y Op imiza ion
Flash EPROM and SRAM memo y ypes a e implemen ed in mic ocon olle s, each
one o hem depending on i s cha ac e is ics, and a e usually assigned a speci ic ask. Thei
o ganiza ion and uses a e widely discussed in he A duino Memo y Guide [
34
]. Di e en
al e na i es o he s o age o kine ic da a ha e been conside ed, especially aking in o
accoun wo undamen al issues: he ime equi ed o hei s o age and he amoun o da a
o be s o ed. The e a e also o he colla e al conside a ions such as minimizing he cos and
complexi y o implemen a ion. Al hough i migh be hough ha he amoun o memo y
a ailable in he mic ocon olle is sca ce, wi h some op imiza ion, i is possible o s o e a
comple e spec um e e y 10 ms, using jus 0.5 kB. In his way, abou 50 comple e spec a
could be s o ed, wi hou consuming he en i e a ailable SRAM memo y. None heless, in
luo escence measu emen s, he a ea o he spec um co esponding o he exci a ion sou ce
can be neglec ed. This ac allows a la ge numbe o spec a o be s o ed in memo y. On
he o he hand, i is possible o s o e mo e han 10,000 poin s i a single WL is selec ed (a
maximum emission). Wi h hese numbe s, he decision was made o use he bes op ion
o e ed by ATSAMD21G18, which implies an easie , cheape , and as e de elopmen , since
i has a solid base in i s ha dwa e, ega ding he spec opho ome e and he de elopmen
o i s so wa e.
In addi ion, he op imiza ion o he a ailable SRAM p o ides a highe s o age speed
wi h a easonable so wa e modi ica ion e o o im and o ganize he measu ed da a spec-
a. Thus, a single a ay a iable is used o s o e he succession o clipped spec a du ing a
kine ic expe imen , once he numbe o wa eleng hs and he o al numbe o wa eleng hs
o be s o ed a e known. This a ay o clipped spec a o di e en acquisi ion imes can
be expo ed as a wo-dimensional able wi h wo ou pu modes: columns con aining he
selec ed WL and ows o he selec ed ime, o he ansposed mode wi h ime in cols/ ows
and WL.
Mo e de ailed in o ma ion abou memo y op imiza ion and o ganiza ion can be ound
in he Supplemen a y Ma e ials.
2.6. Acquisi ion So wa e PLX_DAQ
As desc ibed in p e ious pape s, he main ad an age o using PLX-DAQ so wa e
Release 2B wi h Excel is o ead and w i e speci ic pa ame e s ia USB wi hou ha ing o
eload he code in o he mic ocon olle e e y ime a pa ame e changes. I also allows o
he s o age o he esul s and hei g aphing du ing he measu emen . Mo eo e , using
he di e en checkboxes included in he PLX-DAQ, he p og am low and he pa ame e
e i ica ion and alida ion can be pe o med easily.
One possible d awback is ha he use o an Excel sp eadshee is manda o y, because
his sp eadshee p og am has undamen al RS232 inpu /ou pu con ol p ocedu es,
compa ible wi h USB. Howe e , i s use has been de eloped by PLX-DAQ wi h open
sou ce. Ve sion 2.11 [
21
] has some addi ional imp o emen s, such as he selec ion o
he sp eadshee ha in e ac s wi h he USB in e ace and a debug ou pu ha allows
o sc u inizing possible communica ion p oblems. Howe e , he main d awback is
he s ic language equi ed o build he message syn ax. Special cha ac e s, usually
employed o con ol in he Se ial communica ion in e ace, can in e e e wi h Excel:
comma, spaces, line eed, and ca iage e u n cha ac e s. Thus, i is highly ecommended
o ca e ully ead he use guide.
Figu e 2shows an Excel sc eensho o he con ol da ashee and he PLX-DAQ add-on
(o ange amed) o a dummy expe imen .

Chemosenso s 2025,13, 128 6 o 16
Figu e 2. Sp eadshee sc eensho o he luo okine ics con ol, showing inpu pa ame e s ( ed ame),
debugging in o ma ion abou he iming (g een ame), PLX-DAQ add-on o Excel (o ange ame),
es ima ed pa ame e s (blue ame) and ac ual kine ic da a (cyan ame). See ex o a de ailed desc ip ion.
2.7. Inpu Pa ame e s
The a iables which con ol he luo okine ics expe imen s a e ela ed o he spec o-
scopic and kine ic imes. In he ed ame shown in Figu e 2, he i s column con ains
a b ie desc ip ion o he measu ed pa ame e and employed uni s, i applicable; he second
column con ains in o ma ion abou hei alid ange. The hi d column is used o w i e
he desi ed ac ual alues, and he ou h column con ains hei es ima ion om he ac ual
alues. The ime alue (in
µ
s) o debugging is displayed in he g een ame. Thei alues
a e use ul o addi ional es ing and alida ion o he kine ic measu emen p ocess.
The e a e some in e ela ionships be ween some inpu pa ame e s, and e o s ha e
been made o main ain he maximum pe o mance o he de ice (memo y, ime, WL). Thus,
he numbe o kine ics poin s is limi ed by he numbe o WLs s o ed up o a maximum
o 25kB. The minimum kine ic ime in e al is limi ed by he ime equi ed o ope a e
he CA12880MA. The e o e, once he inpu pa ame e s a e yped in he Excel cells, i is
necessa y o echeck hei alues o e i y ha all de ice limi s a e ma ched (blue ame in
Figu e 2). Thus, he numbe o WLs o be s o ed is es ima ed om he a ailable memo y.
The minimum sampling ime (in milliseconds) is es ima ed om he in e nal ime alues
(in mic oseconds) wi h a 5% inc emen o sa e y. The exac ime a which he i s spec um
is eco ded co esponds o hal he in eg a ion ime o he i s measu emen (see a de ailed
desc ip ion in Supplemen a y Ma e ials).
The ime be ween measu emen s mus be g ea e han he minimum sampling ime. I
he di e ence be ween he sampling ime and he in eg a ion ime is la ge enough (abou
100 ms), i is possible o expo and plo he ac ual kine ic da a du ing he measu emen
p ocess o a single selec ed WL (cyan ame in Figu e 2). In his case, i is highly ecom-
mended no o ope a e he add-on and/o Excel du ing he measu emen p ocess (see
Supplemen a y Ma e ials o mo e in o ma ion). Once he inpu pa ame e s a e se , hey
a e checked and, i necessa y, ecalcula ed. I no e o s a e de ec ed, hey can be alida ed
by ma king he ‘Check_pa ame e ’ checkbox on he add-on o p oceed.
As he comple e da a ma ix o a kine ic expe imen could be e y la ge, PLX-DAQ
2.11 allows one o selec mo e han one da ashee o expo da a. Thus, one da ashee
Chemosenso s 2025,13, 128 7 o 16
con ains he con ol pa ame e s, debugging, and he ADC da a co esponding o he WLs se-
lec ed o plo ing. O he da ashee s can s o e he en i e ou pu ma ix o selec ed ime/WL
da a o di e en expe imen s. This p ocedu e can be a bi icky ini ially, and special ca e
has o be aken o a oid w i ing he ou pu ma ix on he con ol shee o ying o ead he
inpu pa ame e s om he da a ma ix shee . Ano he checkbox, ‘Expo _Da a_ma ix’, is
used o minimize he possible e o o w i ing in o he w ong da ashee .
2.8. Measu emen Rou ines
In addi ion o he usual code o mic ocon olle p og amming, se up and loop,
se e al ou ines ha e been de eloped o e icien ly pe o m each expe imen . The
mos impo an ones a e lis ed he e (mo e de ailed in o ma ion can be ound in he
Supplemen a y Ma e ials).
•Boos ing analogRead p ocedu e: AdcBoos e (A _le el ).
•Gene a e nCLK pulses: F_pulse_clk3MHz(n).
•Managemen o he CA12880MA con ol lines o a single spec um:
F_ eadSpec ome e (Ex_L ).
•Es ima ion o he wa eleng h associa ed om he manu ac u e da a:
Wa eleng h(o de ).
•Compu es he associa ed indexes acco ding o he WL calib a ion da a:
WL_Index_Da a(&w_H, &w_L, &index_H, &index_L ).
•Ou pu ma ix spec a gene a ion by ow:
c ea e_selec ed_ma ix_by_ ow(&Row_Index_L, &Row_Index_H,
&ac ual_col, *ma ix).
•T immed selec ion o he whole da a ma ix, including acquisi ion ime:
p in Da aMa ixExcel(mode, &Row_Index_L, &Row_Index_H, &N_poin s,
&Del a_ms, o _ _ms, *Da a_Ma ix).
•Clean up in Excel da ashee o he pa ame e es ima ion:
Clean_es ima ed_pa am().
2.9. So wa e Flowcha
A e y simpli ied lowcha o he measu emen p ocess is desc ibed in Figu e 3(mo e
de ailed in o ma ion can be ound in he Supplemen a y Ma e ials).
Figu e 3. Simpli ied scheme o he measu emen p ocess. The sequen ial p ocedu e is ope a ed by
p essing he bu on on he luo ime e , ollowing he ex messages om he add-on.
Chemosenso s 2025,13, 128 8 o 16
The de ice is connec ed ia a USB po o a known COM po numbe . The Excel
sp eadshee con aining he enabled PLX_DAQ mac o mus use he same po alue. The INIT
and SETUP p ocesses a e execu ed only once, by w i ing he in o ma ion in he Excel con ol
shee . The p ocedu e is hen con olled by p essing he de ice bu on b ie ly and ollowing
he ins uc ions in he PLX-DAQ ex messages. Once he measu emen has been comple ed,
special ca e should be aken o selec he Excel shee o da a expo . A e expo ing, selec
he con ol shee again o be able o modi y he pa ame e s o a new measu emen . This
p ocedu e is simila o he one al eady explained in he p e ious documen [
16
,
17
]. The
comple e luo okine ics sou ce p og am, wi h mul iple commen a ies, can be ob ained om
he au ho s, upon eques .
3. Resul s and Discussion
As a es o he e sa ili y, capabili y, and accu acy o he designed luo okine ics de ice,
he a e o TC gene a ion om he oxida ion o TM in a basic medium has been s udied.
3.1. TC Fo ma ion om TM E olu ion
As men ioned in he In oduc ion, he eac ion kine ics a e e y well known in he
li e a u e and a e e en used as an example a he highe educa ional le el [
30
]. The
au ho s ecommend using Hg(II) as he oxidan agen in basic media, despi e o he possible
indica ions [
28
,
29
]. TC has an emission maximum a 450 nm when exci ed wi h UV ligh
(365 nm). Figu e 4shows he TC clipped spec um ob ained wi h he luo ime e a e
comple e oxida ion o a 5 ppm TM solu ion in phospha e bu e (pH 12).
Figu e 4. (A) Sc eensho o he pa ame e s employed o ob ain he emission spec um o TC.
(B) Emission spec um ob ained by Hg(II) oxida ion o a 5 ppm TM solu ion a pH 12. O dina e
co esponds o he ADC alues. No blank co ec ion is pe o med.
Figu e 5shows he p og ess o he TM oxida ion wi h he e olu ion o he TC emission
spec um. These plo s can be easily ob ained om he expo ed ma ix o he adia ion
in ensi y da a a he selec ed WLs and imes du ing he cou se o he TC o ma ion eac ion.
The 3D iew is a s iking example o he isualiza ion o luo okine ics measu emen s
ob ained by he designed de ice.
Chemosenso s 2025,13, 128 9 o 16
Figu e 5. Th ee-dimensional e olu ion o TC o ma ion du ing Thiamine oxida ion. Readings o
he ADC con e e o he mic ocon olle a di e en wa eleng hs. Expe imen al condi ions a e
analogous o hose desc ibed in Figu e 4.
When he kine ics a e ela i ely slow (sampling ime abo e 2.0 s), measu emen s can
be made by swi ching o he exci a ion ligh be ween poin s. Howe e , i i is desi ed o
ob ain he a e cons an a ze o ime, measu emen s ha e o be made a he mixing eac an
ea ly s ages wi h sho sampling imes o ob ain a good esolu ion.
Figu e 6shows he e olu ion o he loga i hm alue o he ADC eading a he wa eleng h
o he emission maximum (450 nm). The acquisi ion was ca ied ou o abou hal an hou .
The oxida ion eac ion ends o be a limi ing alue co esponding o he amoun o ini ial TM.
Figu e 6. E olu ion o he na u al loga i hm o he ADC a he wa eleng h o he emission maximum
(450 nm), un il TM deple ion (blue do s). Pseudo- i s -o de analysis o ini ial eac ion imes ( ed
do s and line) and he expe imen al condi ions a e he same as Figu e 4.
Chemosenso s 2025,13, 128 16 o 16
25.
Holzbeche , J.; Ryan, D.E. The luo ime ic de e mina ion o phospha e wi h hiamine. Anal. Chim. Ac a 1973,64, 147–150.
[C ossRe ]
26.
Kusube, K.; Abe, K.; Hi oshima, O.; Ishigu o, Y.; Ishikawa, S.; Hoshida, H. Elec ochemical De i a iza ion o Thiamine in Flow
Injec ion Sys em. Applica ion o Thiamine Analysis. Chem. Pha m. Bull. 1983,31, 3589–3594. [C ossRe ]
27.
Kusube, K.; Abe, K.; Hi oshima, O.; Ishigu o, Y.; Ishikawa, S.; Hoshida, H. De e mina ion o Vi amin K Analogues by High
Pe o mance Liquid Ch oma og aphy wi h Elec ochemical De i a iza ion. Chem. Pha m. Bull. 1984,32, 179–184. [C ossRe ]
28.
Ryan, M.A.; Mille , R.J.; Ingle, J.D., J . In ensi ied Diode A ay De ec o o Molecula Fluo escence and Chemiluminescence
Measu emen s. Anal. Chem. 1978,50, 1772–1777. [C ossRe ]
29.
Ryan, M.A.; Ingle, J.D., J . Fluo ome ic Reac ion Ra e Me hod o he De e mina ion o Thiamine. Anal. Chem. 1980,52, 2177–2184.
[C ossRe ] [PubMed]
30. Bowe , N.W. Kine ic Fluo escence Expe imen o he De e mina ion o Thiamine. J. Chem. Edu. 1982,59, 975–977. [C ossRe ]
31. S epu o, I.I. Thiamine and asculopa hies. P os aglandins. Leuko . Essen . Fa y. Acids. 2005,72, 115–127. [C ossRe ]
32.
Bubeshko, N.N.; S siapu a, V.I.; S epu o, I.I. Fluo escen P ope ies o Thioch ome in Sol en s o Di e en Pola i y. J. Appl.
Spec osc. 2011,78, 337–343. [C ossRe ]
33.
Speeding up Analog ead() a he A duino Ze o. A ailable online: h ps:// o um.a duino.cc/ /speeding-up-analog ead-a - he-
a duino-ze o/426099/1 (accessed on 27 Janua y 2025).
34.
A duino Memo y Guide. A ailable online: h ps://docs.a duino.cc/lea n/p og amming/memo y-guide (accessed on
26 Janua y 2025).
35. Mille , J.; Mille , J. S a is ics and Chemome ics o Analy ical Chemis y, 6 h ed.; P en ice Hall: London, UK, 2010; ISBN 978-0-273-73042-2.
36.
Anwa , Z.; She az, M.A.; Ahmed, S.; Mus aan, N.; Khu shid, A.; Gul, W.; Kha ak, S.-U.-R.; Ahmad, I. Pho olysis o Thioch ome
in Aqueous Solu ion: A kine ic s udy. J. Pho ochem. Pho obiol. B Biol. 2020,203, 111766–111775. [C ossRe ]
37.
Ahmad, I.; Abbas, S.H.; Anwa , Z.; She az, M.A.; Ahmed, S.; Mobeen, M.F.; Mus aan, N.; Gul, W. S abili y-Indica ing Pho ochemi-
cal Me hod o he Assay o Thiamine by Spec opho ome y. J. Spec osc. 2018,2018, 3178518. [C ossRe ]
38.
De ine and Sol e a P oblem by Using Sol e . A ailable online: h ps://suppo .mic oso .com/en-us/o ice/de ine-and-sol e-a-
p oblem-by-using-sol e -5d1a388 -079d-43ac-a7eb- 63e45925040 (accessed on 26 Janua y 2025).
Disclaime /Publishe ’s No e: The s a emen s, opinions and da a con ained in all publica ions a e solely hose o he indi idual
au ho (s) and con ibu o (s) and no o MDPI and/o he edi o (s). MDPI and/o he edi o (s) disclaim esponsibili y o any inju y o
people o p ope y esul ing om any ideas, me hods, ins uc ions o p oduc s e e ed o in he con en .