Fluorescent quenching technologies

Fisher, M. and C. Cumming. Trace detection of nitroaromatic explosives by fluorescence quenching of novel polymer materials, in Proceedings of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration s Third International Aviation Security Technology Symposium, Atlantic City, NJ, November 27-30, 2001. 

Puchalski, M. M., Morra, M. J. von Wandruszka, R. (1992). Fluorescence quenching of synthetic organic compounds by humic materials. Environmental Science Technology, 26, 1787-92. 

Danielsen, K. M., Y. P. Chin, J. S. Buterbaugh, T. L. Gustafson, and S. J. Traina. 1995. The solubility enhancement and fluorescence quenching of pyrene by humic substances. Environmental Science and Technology 29 2162. 

Gauthier, T. D., E. C. Shane, W. F. Guerin, Seitz W. R., and C. L. Grant. 1986. Fluorescence quenching method for determining equilibrium constants for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon bonding to dissolved humic materials. Environmental Science and Technology 20 1162. 

Tiller, C. L., and K. D. Jones. 1997. Effects of dissolved oxygen and light on determination of Koc values for PAHs using fluorescence quenching. Environmental Science and Technology 31 424. 

Simonson et al. [148] demonstrated remote detection of explosives in soil by combining distributed sensor particles with UV/vis fluorescence LIDAR technology. The key to this approach is that the fluorescence emission spectrum of the distributed particles is strongly affected by absorption of nitroaromatic explosives from the surrounding environment. Remote sensing of the fluorescence quenching by TNT or DNT is achieved by fluorescence LIDAR - the emission spectra were excited in field LIDAR measurements by a frequency-tripled Nd YAG laser at 355 nm and the fluorescence collected with a telescope and various detector systems housed in a 10 x 50 trailer. TNT has been detected in the ppm range at a standoff distance of 0.5 km with this system (Fig. 16). An important limitation to this technique is the pre-concentration of the explosives on the sensor particles, which requires the presence of water to facilitate the transport of the explosive from the surface of the soil particles to the sensor particles. 

M. laGrone, C. Cumming, M. Fisher, M. Fox, S. Jacob, D. Reust, M. Rockley and E. Towers, Detection of landmines by amplified fluorescence quenching of polymer films A man portable chemical sniffer for detection of ultratrace concentrations of explosives emanating from landmines, Proc. SPIE, Detection and Remediation Technologies for Mines and Minelike Targets V, 4038 (2000) 553-562. 

An example of a recent development in assay technology that combines speed, sensitivity and safety is homogeneous time resolved fluorescence (HTRF , Packard). HTRF has the inherent sensitivity associated with fluorescence, but is designed to eliminate or compensate for problems such as high background, color interference and fluorescence quenching often found in biological assays. 

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