Patent ID: 6360585
Filing Date: 2002-03-26
Classification: G01N

Abstract:
An apparatus for determining chemical properties of at least one chemical species in a sample of an analyte, the apparatus comprising:a vessel divided into a plurality of compartments; at least one resonator comprising a first side coated with a first sensing film comprising a first material and a second side coated with a second sensing film comprising a second material different than said first material, each of said sides of said at least one resonator being exposed to a different one of said plurality of compartments, each of said first and second materials having a respective differentiable affinity toward said at least one chemical species and being capable of inducing a respective differentiable resonant frequency in said at least one resonator upon contact with said at least one chemical species, one of said materials contacting said sample of said analyte when another of said materials contacting a reference chemical, and each of said materials contacting said sample of said analyte at a different time; an electric power source coupled to said at least one resonator and adapted to place an oscillating electric potential between said first side and said second side of said at least one resonator; and a frequency detector coupled to said at least one resonator and adapted to detect the frequency of resonation of said at least one resonator; wherein said at least one resonator generates differing resonant frequencies when each of said materials contacts said sample of said analyte, respectively; and said differing resonant frequencies provide a determination of said chemical properties of said at least one chemical species.