Rapid highly sensitive general protein quantification through on-chip chemiluminescence.

Protein detection and quantification is a routinely performed procedure in research laboratories, predominantly executed either by spectroscopy-based measurements, such as NanoDrop, or by colorimetric assays. The detection limits of such assays, however, are limited to µ M concentrations. To establish an approach that achieves general protein detection at an enhanced sensitivity and without necessitating the requirement for signal amplification steps or a multicomponent detection system, here, we established a chemiluminescence-based protein detection assay. Our assay specifically targeted primary amines in proteins, which permitted characterization of any protein sample and, moreover, its latent nature eliminated the requirement for washing steps providing a simple route to implementation. Additionally, the use of a chemiluminescence-based readout ensured that the assay could be operated in an excitation source-free manner, which did not only permit an enhanced sensitivity due to a reduced background signal but also allowed for the use of a very simple optical setup comprising only an objective and a detection element. Using this assay, we demonstrated quantitative protein detection over a concentration range of five orders of magnitude and down to a high sensitivity of 10 pg mL - 1 , corresponding to pM concentrations. The capability of the platform presented here to achieve a high detection sensitivity without the requirement for a multistep operation or a multicomponent optical system sets the basis for a simple yet universal and sensitive protein detection strategy.

A spectroscopic study of the excited state proton transfer processes of (8-bromo-7-hydroxyquinolin-2-yl)methyl-protected phenol in aqueous solutions.

A combination of spectroscopic methods and density functional theory (DFT) computations was used to study the excited state proton transfer (ESPT) processes of (8-bromo-7-hydroxyquinolin-2-yl)methyl-protected phenol (BHQ-OPh). Characterization of the prototropic forms of BHQ-OPh in different solvent environments revealed that the neutral form predominates in acetonitrile and in 1 : 1 acetonitrile/water (pH 5.0), whereas the anionic form predominates in 1 : 1 acetonitrile/PBS (pH 7.4). Both the neutral and anionic forms were significantly populated in 1 : 1 acetonitrile/water. Upon irradiation in acetonitrile the triplet neutral form was observed, whereas the triplet anionic form was detected in 1 : 1 acetonitrile/PBS (pH 7.4). The existence of the triplet tautomeric form of BHQ-OPh in both 1 : 1 acetonitrile/water and 1 : 1 acetonitrile/water (pH 5.0), and the ESPT processes from the neutral to the anionic to the tautomeric forms in the excited state were observed using time-resolved spectroscopy. A reaction mechanism in 1 : 1 acetonitrile/water and 1 : 1 acetonitrile/water (pH 5.0) was proposed based on the spectroscopic and DFT computational results. A comparison of the results for BHQ-OPh with those of BHQ-OAc reveals that the initial prototropic states and photochemical processes are similar. The understanding gained of the initial photo-induced processes of BHQ-based photoremovable protecting groups (PPGs) is useful for the design of new quinolinyl-based PPGs for specialized applications.