Fluorescence-based determination of the copper concentration in drinking water

Copper is a heavy metal, which is used in heat and electrical conductors and in a multitude of alloys in the technical context. Moreover, it is a trace element that is essential for the life of organisms but can cause toxic effects in elevated concentrations. Maximum limits in water and beverages exist. Here, the decrease of the fluorescence lifetime of green fluorescent protein (GFP) by Forster resonance energy transfer is used to measure the copper ion concentration in drinking water. Therefore, a system is developed that is based on a GFP sample in a predefined concentration. The GFP mutant can be excited with blue light. For binding of copper ions, a His-tag is included in the GFP. After measuring the fluorescence lifetime of pure GFP, the copper determination of the sample is performed by lifetime measurement. Therefore, the lifetime can be assigned to the copper concentration of the GFP-doped drinking water sample. In summary, a method for the quantification of copper ions based on changes of the fluorescence lifetime of GFP is developed, and the measurement of the copper concentration in water samples is performed. (C) 2013 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)