Page 392 - Academic Press Encyclopedia of Physical Science and Technology 3rd Analytical Chemistry

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Encyclopedia of Physical Science and Technology EN0011A-541 July 25, 2001 17:27

Organic Chemistry, Compound Detection 495

XV. FUTURE PROSPECTS

The combination and computerization of spectroscopic
and chromatographic methods is more efficient for the
detection and identification of organic compounds than
either of the two methods individually. The rapid devel-
opment of NMR spectroscopic techniques, as well as the
advent of even more powerful machines up to 600 MHz, is
nowbeingappliedinthefieldsofmedicineandbiotechnol-
ogy. The use of NMR spectroscopy in clinical diagnostics
in the study of body fluids such as urine, sweat, amniotic
fluid, and blood plasma is only just being realized. The
application of NMR to biotechnology has tremendous po-
tential, as 2D-NMR COSY spectra of proteins such as
lysozyme have already been produced. It is envisaged that
the last decade of the twentieth century will see in vivo
monitoring and analysis of natural and genetically engi-
FIGURE 17 Molecular structure of eight-membered cyclic sulfite
neered biomolecules.
as revealed by X-ray analysis.
In his book Philosophy of Sciences published in 1836,
Andre Marie Ampere made use of the strange term cyber-
The majority of chemical measurements is currently netique, which in its modern concept denotes the multi-
carried out in dedicated analytical laboratories, where the scient robot of self-organizing machine. It is reasonable to
samples are separated into their chemical components for assume that computer-controlled cybermachines, such as
subsequent detection and quantification. One of the main the coupled instruments, will soon become essential tools
benefits of laboratory analysis is the reliability and accu- in every modern analytical laboratory.
racy that can be achieved. It seems that the rapid development of the new tech-
Measurements performed using selective detection are niques for the detection and identification of organic
reasonably reliable when chemical standards are available molecules (including biomolecules) is in accordance with
for quality control purposes. In recent years, however, the idea of the ancient Roman historian Tacitus, who said:
stand-alone selective detectors in the form of chemical “Piscus crastinus papylo qui sapientam hodiernam con-
sensors have been considered as a means for performing tinet,” meaning “Tomorrow’s fish is wrapped in the paper
measurement at-site. which contains today’s wisdom.”
To allow increased sample throughout and reduced
analysis costs, the multitask approach to analysis is, in
many areas, being superseded by methods that require
SEE ALSO THE FOLLOWING ARTICLES
fewer steps and allow greater parallel processing. Usu-
ally these methods include a selective detection stage,
which then obviates the need for conventional purifica- GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY • INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY •
tion and separation procedures. Selectivity in detection LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY • MASS SPECTROMETRY •
NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE (NMR) • RADIOAC-
can be achieved by utilizing biomolecules (antibiotics,
binding proteins, and enzymes) that exhibit high speci- TIVITY • RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY • X-RAY ANALYSIS
ficity for their target analytes. The use of immunoassays is
now commonplace in clinical laboratories, enabling faster
medical diagnosis for the patient. BIBLIOGRAPHY
There are now commercially available versions of the
so-called “chemical nose” where multiple sensing ele-
Afeyan, N. B., Fulton, S. P., Gordon, N. F., Mazsaroff, I., V´aredy, L.,
ments are used to pick out specific chemicals in the aroma and Regnier, F. E. (1990). “Perfusion chromatography—An approach
commodities such as beverages and perfumes. Most mi- to purifying biomolecules,” Bioltechnology 8, 203–206.
croanalytical techniques have been reproduced at a re- Agarwal, B. K. (1989). “X-Ray Spectroscopy,” Springer, New York.
search level in an on-chip format. These include the se- Alemany. L. B. (1989). “Exceptional resolution and new signals detected
13
inthe CNMRspectraofalkanes,”MagneticResonanceinChemistry
lective detection systems, such as field effect transistors,
27, 1065–1073.
ion-selective electrodes, biosensors, bioassays, and acous- Andrews, D. L., and Davis, A. M. C. (Eds.) (1995). “Frontier in Analyt-
tic wave mass dectors. ical Spectroscopy,” The Royal Society of Chemistry, London.