Towards a radiation-tolerant contactless conductivity detector for use with capillary electrophoresis systems in spaceflight applications

Santos, Mauro Sérgio Ferreira; Metz, Brandon; Costa, Eric Tavares da; Lago, Claudimir Lúcio do; Willis, Peter A.; Mora, María F.; Noell, Aaron C.

doi:10.1016/j.actaastro.2021.10.023

Cited by 16 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…The instrument’s validation parameters were evaluated by analyzing standard solutions with varying concentrations of inorganic cations and amino acids (5.2–1000 μM). The C 4 D detector reported here is an upgraded version of our previous designs , and has comparable sensitivity to other detectors reported in the literature, , including a radiation-hardened C 4 D that we reported previously . Sodium, which is abundant in the real samples, was calibrated separately with a minimum concentration level of 11 μM.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 78%

Submersible Capillary Electrophoresis Analyzer: A Proof-of-Concept Demonstration of an In Situ Instrument for Future Missions to Ocean Worlds

et al. 2023

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We report here the first fully automated capillary electrophoresis (CE) system that can be operated underwater. The system performs sample acquisition and analysis by coupling CE to contactless conductivity detection. Using 5 M acetic acid as the background electrolyte (BGE), inorganic cations and amino acids at concentrations as low as 5.2 μM can be separated and identified. This technology could be augmented to include a variety of other detection modes. This system serves as an early prototype for potential future underwater explorers on ocean worlds of the outer solar system such as Europa or Enceladus. This work documents the first step in the development of this general-purpose technology platform.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 78%

Submersible Capillary Electrophoresis Analyzer: A Proof-of-Concept Demonstration of an In Situ Instrument for Future Missions to Ocean Worlds

et al. 2023

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“…In previous studies by our group, 5 M acetic acid was used for the analysis of various biomolecules and it was demonstrated to be well-suited for future life detection missions to ocean worlds because of its high tolerance to salts and radiation. − Using 5 M acetic acid, the percentage of acetonitrile in the BGE could be lowered to 35% (Figure S4). The use of a higher acetic acid concentration and a lower percentage of acetonitrile resulted in slower migration times, and thereby, also in a slightly better separation.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Novel and Sensitive Method for the Analysis of Fatty Acid Biosignatures by Capillary Electrophoresis-Mass Spectrometry

et al. 2022

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Fatty acids are a well-established class of compounds targeted as biosignatures for future missions to look for evidence of life on ocean worlds such as Europa and Enceladus. In order to establish their abiotic or biotic origin, we need to separate and quantify fatty acids to determine their relative abundances within a sample. In this study, we demonstrate the high potential of capillary electrophoresis coupled to mass spectrometry (CE-MS) for the efficient separation and sensitive detection of a wide variety of fatty acids. Three derivatization strategies were evaluated to allow the detection of fatty acids by positive ionization mode MS. Furthermore, CE-MS conditions were optimized to provide maximum separation efficiencies and detection sensitivities for the analysis of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids with even- and odd-numbered carbon chain lengths. Optimum separation and detection were obtained using a background electrolyte of 2 M acetic acid in 45% acetonitrile, after derivatization of the fatty acids with 2-picolylamine or N,N-diethylethylenediamine. The limits of detection for the derivatized fatty acids using the optimized method ranged from 25 to 250 nM. The optimized method was also used for the analysis of fatty acids in cell cultures and natural samples. Two distinctive biosignatures were obtained for the microorganisms Halobacillus halophilus and Pseudoalteromonas haloplanktis. In addition, multiple fatty acids were detected in a natural sample from Mono Lake, California.

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“…This method is tolerant to high concentrations of salts, as we demonstrated separation performance of solutions at half saturation for both sodium chloride and magnesium sulfate. Like the reagents needed for CE-LIF, we have also shown that the simple one-component background electrolyte solution needed for this method, 5 M acetic acid, is stable under Europa Lander mission TID levels and for years of storage without special handling (Ferreira Santos et al, 2021).…”

Section: Oceans Methodsmentioning

confidence: 91%

Europan Molecular Indicators of Life Investigation (EMILI) for a Future Europa Lander Mission

Brinckerhoff¹,

Willis²,

Ricco³

et al. 2022

Front. Space Technol.

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The Europan Molecular Indicators of Life Investigation (EMILI) is an instrument concept being developed for the Europa Lander mission currently under study. EMILI will meet and exceed the scientific and technical/resource requirements of the organic composition analyzer identified as a core instrument on the Lander. EMILI tightly couples two complementary analytical techniques, based on 1) liquid extraction and processing with capillary electrophoresis and 2) thermal and chemical extraction with gas chromatography, to robustly detect, structurally characterize, and quantify the broadest range of organics and other Europan chemicals over widely-varying concentrations. Dual processing and analysis paths enable EMILI to perform a thorough characterization of potential molecular biosignatures and contextual compounds in collected surface samples. Here we present a summary of the requirements, design, and development status of EMILI with projected scientific opportunities on the Europa Lander as well as on other potential life detection missions seeking potential molecular biosignatures in situ.

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Towards a radiation-tolerant contactless conductivity detector for use with capillary electrophoresis systems in spaceflight applications

Cited by 16 publications

References 45 publications

Submersible Capillary Electrophoresis Analyzer: A Proof-of-Concept Demonstration of an In Situ Instrument for Future Missions to Ocean Worlds

Submersible Capillary Electrophoresis Analyzer: A Proof-of-Concept Demonstration of an In Situ Instrument for Future Missions to Ocean Worlds

A Novel and Sensitive Method for the Analysis of Fatty Acid Biosignatures by Capillary Electrophoresis-Mass Spectrometry

Europan Molecular Indicators of Life Investigation (EMILI) for a Future Europa Lander Mission

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