Abstract
The characterization of a commercially available monoclonal antibody directed against the explosive 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) is reported. The cross-reactivities of various nitroaromatic compounds have been determined by competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Byproducts and metabolites of TNT were examined as well as the azo dye Disperse Blue 79 and its major metabolites (2-bromo-4,6-dinitroaniline and 2-chloro-4,6-dinitroaniline, respectively). By investigation of the cross-reactivities of different spacer derivatives of TNT it could be demonstrated that the bridge-recognition of the antibody is not very pronounced. N-(2,4,6-Trinitrophenyl)-methylamine shows the highest cross-reactivity (240%) of the examined compounds. Additionally, affinity constants of several nitroaromatic compounds have been determined. The affinity constant of TNT has been calculated to 1.3 × 109 L/mol from the minimal midpoint (IC50 value) of the standard curve. The detection limit achieved for TNT was 0.06 μg/L; the midpoint of the optimized assay was 0.34 μg/L.
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Received: 17 July 1998 / Revised: 28 December 1998 / Accepted: 1 January 1999
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Zeck, A., Weller, M. & Niessner, R. Characterization of a monoclonal TNT-antibody by measurement of the cross-reactivities of nitroaromatic compounds. Fresenius J Anal Chem 364, 113–120 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/s002160051309
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s002160051309