Nowadays it has been ascertained that ethylene is a molecular product of lipid peroxydation in living tissues. Consequently, it can be used as a marker to follow any reaction of this kind induced by various agents, such as the presence of heavy metals, of UV radiation or of hazardous chemicals. In the present work we try to detect the ethylene possibly released by cultures of human cells doped upon exposure to different doses of Cadmium. Trace detection of ethylene in biogenic gases can be adequately performed at atmospheric pressure by means of high resolution photoacoustic laser spectroscopy. The prototype of the photoacoustic setup realised at ENEA Frascati to trace ethylene in biogases is presented. The apparatus, based on a continuous wave CO₂ laser with a stabilized emission (10 W on the 10P(14) line) at 10.532 μm on resonance with an ethylene transition, is PC interfaced and fully operated under LABVIEW environment. The Calibration procedure and the minimum amount of ethylene detectable were established in analyzing suitable reference gas-mixtures. Preliminary values of ethylene concentration are reported as emitted from the human cells grown in the examined cultures.

Cited By (since 1996): 7Export Date: 26 August 2010Source: Scopus