Conventional and planar chip sensors for potentiometric assay of uric acid in biological fluids using flow injection analysis

The potentiometric response properties of several PVC-based membrane sensors using phthalocyanine complexes of cobalt(II) (CoPC) and Fe(II) (FePC) as anion carriers, towards uric acid were constructed and characterized. The sensors demonstrated fast near-Nernstian response for uric acid over the concentration ranges 9.1 × 10−6 to 9.1 × 10−2 and 3.1 × 10−5 to 3.1 × 10−2 M with detection limits 0.67 and 2.85 μg mL−1 over pH 6.5–8 for CoPC and FePC based membrane sensors plasticized with o-NPOE and 1% TDMAC, respectively. A novel solid-state planar chip urate sensor was developed, characterized according to IUPAC recommendations, easily used in a single channel wall-jet flow injection system and compared with a tubular detector. The intrinsic characteristics of the detectors in a low dispersion manifold were determined and compared with data obtained under hydrodynamic mode of operation. Validation of the assay methods with the proposed sensors by measuring the lower limit, range, accuracy, precision, repeatability and between-day-variability revealed good performance characteristics confirming applicability for continuous determination of uric acid. The sensors were used for determining urate in biological fluids at an input rate of 50 samples per hour. The results compare favorably with data obtained by the standard spectrophotometry.