Continuous-flow quantitation of Na+ and K+ in nanoliter samples using chromogenic macrocyclic ionophores

Continuous-flow colorimetric methods for measurement of sodium and potassium contents in 1- to 30-nl aqueous samples are described. The methods employ macrocyclic ionophores (cryptahemispherands) that selectively bind sodium or potassium, altering the absorbance spectra of covalently attached chromophores. The potassium method is linear in the range 0-350 pmol and exhibits a high degree of precision (coefficient of variation of approximately 2% in the 150- to 350-pmol range). It can detect as little as 8 pmol of K+. The sodium method is linear in the range 0-2,700 pmol and also exhibits a high degree of precision (coefficient of variation of approximately 3% in the 1,700- to 2,700-pmol range). It can detect as little as 57 pmol of Na+. The instrumentation and reagents are available from commercial sources. These methods are proposed for measurement of K+ and Na+ fluxes in isolated perfused tubules.