Microfluidic Chromatography for Enhanced Amino Acid Detection at Ocean Worlds.

ABSTRACT: Increasing interest in the detection of biogenic signatures, such as amino acids, on icy moons and bodies within our solar system has led to the development of compact in situ instruments. Given the expected dilute biosignatures and high salinities of these extreme environments, purification of icy samples before analysis enables increased detection sensitivity. Herein, we outline a novel compact cation exchange method to desalinate proteinogenic amino acids in solution, independent of the type and concentration of salts in the sample. Using a modular microfluidic device, initial experiments explored operational limits of binding capacity with phenylalanine and three model cations, Na⁺, Mg²⁺, and Ca²⁺. Phenylalanine recovery (94-17%) with reduced con

SUBMITTER: Van Volkenburg T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9508454 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature