Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 7, 2025
06:33
Method for Simultaneous fMRI/EEG Data Collection during a Focused Attention Suggestion for Differential Thermal Sensation
Published on: January 5, 2014
12.1K
Rational Design of Memory-Based Sensors: the Case of Molecular Calorimeters
Obianuju A Nwokolo1, Brant Kidd1, Te'Kara Allen1
1Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, 60115, USA.
Angewandte Chemie (International Ed. in English)
|September 30, 2020
Summary
Researchers developed novel molecular sensors that act as memory-based calorimeters. These biocompatible sensors accurately measure small heat changes in open systems, advancing thermodynamic characterization.
Area of Science:
- Biophysical Chemistry
- Molecular Biology
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Thermodynamic characterization is vital for understanding molecular interactions.
- Existing methods for measuring heat in small, open systems are limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a new approach for designing molecular sensors functioning as calorimeters.
- To leverage nucleic acid kinetic properties for heat measurement in open environments.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing the distinct folding and unfolding rates of nucleic acid quadruplexes, specifically DNA i-motifs.
- Designing memory-based sensors that exploit the irreversible unfolding of i-motifs in response to heat.
Main Results:
- Developed novel, biocompatible, homogeneous molecular sensors acting as memory-based calorimeters.
- Demonstrated successful measurement of small heat changes over extended periods.
- Validated sensor performance through proof-of-concept experiments including water/propanol mixing and ligand/protein binding.
Conclusions:
- This new memory-based sensor technology enables precise thermodynamic characterization in challenging open systems.
- The approach offers a versatile platform for detecting minute heat changes in biological and chemical processes.
Related Concept Videos
02:41Constant Volume Calorimetry
30.0K
Calorimeters are useful to determine the heat released or absorbed by a chemical reaction. Coffee cup calorimeters are designed to operate at constant (atmospheric) pressure and are convenient to measure heat flow (or enthalpy change) accompanying processes that occur in solution at constant pressure. A different type of calorimeter that operates at constant volume, colloquially known as a bomb calorimeter, is used to measure the energy produced by reactions that yield large amounts of heat and...
30.0K
03:02Constant Pressure Calorimetry
96.4K
Calorimetry is a technique used to measure the amount of heat involved in a chemical or physical process or to measure the heat transferred to or from a substance. The heat is exchanged with a calibrated and insulated device called the calorimeter. Calorimetry experiments are based on the assumption that there is no heat exchange between the insulated calorimeter and the external environment. The well-insulated calorimeters prevent the transfer of heat between the calorimeter and its external...
96.4K
01:19Calorimetry
4.0K
When objects at different temperatures are placed in contact with each other but isolated from everything else, they attain thermal equilibrium. A container that prevents heat transfer in or out is called a calorimeter, and the use of a calorimeter to make measurements is called calorimetry. Generally, these measurements involve heat or specific heat capacity. The term "calorimetry problem" is used for any problem where the specified objects are thermally isolated from their...
4.0K