Amperometric biosensor for formic acid in air

The possibility of developing a simple, inexpensive and specific personal passive "real-time" air sampler incorporating a biosensor for formic acid was investigated. The sensor is based on the enzymatic reaction between formic acid and formate dehydrogenase (FDH) with nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD(+)) as a co-factor and Meldola's blue as mediator. An effective way to immobilise the enzyme, co-factor and Meldola's blue on screen-printed, disposable, electrodes was found to be in a mixture of glycerol and phosphate buffer covered with a gas-permeable membrane. Steady-state current was reached after 4-15 min and the limit of detection was calculated to be below 1 mg/m(3). However, the response decreased by 50% after storage at -15 degreesC for 1 day. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.