CALORIMETRIC SENSING IN BIOANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY - PRINCIPLES, APPLICATIONS AND TRENDS

Calorimetry has shown great potential in bioanalytical chemistry as most biochemical processes involve a change in enthalpy. Two types of approach have been developed: (1) adiabatic calorimetry, which relies on the absence of heat exchange between the reaction vessel and the external environment, and (2) heat conduction calorimetry, involving measurement of the heat transferred from the vessel to a surrounding heat sink. Both principles, with their respective advantages and drawbacks, have been applied to microcalorimetry for the analysis of (bio)chemical compounds. Immobilization of the biomaterial in the vicinity of, or directly onto a small temperature or heat sensitive transducer has led to the concept of a calorimetric biosensor. In comparison to the traditional calorimeter, the calorimetric biosensor is better suited to continuous monitoring and size reduction. This simplified but sensitive device is expected to solve numerous problems in various fields of analytical chemistry.