Hexaamineruthenium(III) Chloride as an Electron Mediator for Glucose
Detection Glucose monitoring systems use hexaammineruthenium(III) chloride as an electron mediator. In one commercial blood glucose monitoring system, β-D-glucose reacts with GOD and hexaammineruthenium (III) chloride in the test strip, generating β-D-glucono-lactone and hexaammineruthenium (II) chloride. The amount of hexaammineruthenium (II) chloride that is produced is directly proportional to the amount of glucose in the blood sample. Oxidation of the hexaammineruthenium(II) chloride back to hexaammineruthenium (III) chloride then generates an electric current. The meter is used to convert the current into the value of the glucose concentration.
In another system reported in the literature, the thermostable FADGDH glucose-dehydrogenase complex, rather than GDH, was used as the enzyme and deposited’ along with hexaammineruthenium (III) chloride, onto a screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE) (Ref 2). The sensor was shown to measure the whole-blood glucose level within 1 sec using a 150-nL whole-blood sample with both high precision and reproducibility. Importantly, the sensor reading was stable for more than 60 days, even at 70 °C.
In these systems, the hexaammineruthenium (III) chloride must be of consistent purity and quality to ensure consistent and accurate test results.
Reactions:
β-D-glucose + Hexammineruthenium(III) chloride + GOD → D-Glucono-δ-Lactone + Hexammineruthenium (II) chloride
Hexammineruthenium(II) chloride →Hexammineruthenium(III) chloride + e
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