Use of universal 3D-Printed smartphone spectrophotometer to develop a time-based analysis for hypochlorite

VIDAL, EZEQUIEL; LORENZETTI, ANABELA S.; GARCIA, CARLOS D.; DOMINI, CLAUDIA E.

ANALYTICA CHIMICA ACTA

ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

Año: 2021 vol. 1151

0003-2670

A fully-functional smartphone-based spectrophotometer was designed and built using 3D printing. The major advantage of this approach is its capacity to be interfaced with a variety of smartphones, allowing the use of the smartphone´s camera and display, and regardless of the relative position of the camera. The analytical performance of the device was analyzed using a model dye (crystal violet), leading to a proportional response for concentrations in the 0.06?15.0 mg L−1 range, with a variability of 1.0% (intra-day) and 2.6% (inter-day). To demonstrate the functionality of the device, the degradation process of the dye by sodium hypochlorite was studied. The results obtained were applied to develop a paper-based test for NaClO in sanitation solutions, in which the time required to bleach the dye was used to estimate the concentration of the solution. This device represents a simple and inexpensive tool for everyday laboratory use and could address important analytical challenges in low-income communities and features a versatile arrangement, that is compatible with a wide variety of smartphones and software platforms.