Solution-phase small-molecule detection

While experiments involving solution-phase reactants have provided deep insights into the dynamics of heterogeneous electron transfer, the magnitude of the diffusion-controlled currents over short timescales ultimately limits the maximum rate constant that can be measured. For diffusive species, the thickness of the diffusion layer, S, is defined as S = (nDt)1/2, where D is the solution-phase diffusion coefficient and t is the polarization time. Therefore, the depletion layer thickness is proportional to the square root of the polarization time. One can estimate that the diffusion layer thickness is approximately 50 A if the diffusion coefficient is 1 x 10-5 cm2 s-1 and the polarization time is 10 ns. Given a typical bulk concentration of the electroactive species of 1 mM, this analysis reveals that only 10 000 molecules or so would be oxidized or reduced at a 1 pm radius microdisk under these conditions The average current for this experiment is only 170 nA, which is too small to be detected with high temporal resolution. 

Cellulose, starch, and their derivatives are commonly used as chromatographic stationary phases. They are, in principle, potential hosts for inducing CD activity in small molecules and could be used with effect for analysis in homogeneous media with chiroptical detection. An example might be the starch (amylose)-iodide complex [86]. Low aqueous solubility however is an obstacle to their general use in homogeneous solutions. Linear oligomers of maltose are more soluble than starch and could theoretically be used as alternatives to Cy, however they do not really compete in terms of the stability of the association complexes. 

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