Detection of mercuric ions in water by ELISA with a mercury-specific antibody

✍ Scribed by Dwane E. Wylie; Larry D. Carlson; Randy Carlson; Fred W. Wagner; Sheldon M. Schuster

• Book ID: 102986435
• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1991
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 745 KB
• Volume: 194
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0003-2697
• DOI: 10.1016/0003-2697(91)90245-o

✦ Synopsis

An immunoassay that detects mercuric ions in water at concentrations of 0.5 ppb and above is described. The assay utilizes a monoclonal antibody that binds specifically to mercuric ions immobilized in wells of microtiter plates. Within the range of 0.5-10 ppb mercury, the absorbance in the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is linear to the log of the mercuric ion concentration. The quantitation of mercury by ELISA correlates closely with results from cold-vapor atomic absorption. Other divalent metal cations do not interfere with the assay, although there is interference in the presence of 1 mM chloride ions. The optimum pH for mercury detection is 7.0, although 2 ppb mercury can be detected over a wide pH range. The assay is as sensitive as cold-vapor atomic absorption for mercury detection and can be performed with only 100 microliters of sample.