Abstract: A process, means and devices for the quantitative determination, using electromagnetic radiation, of a component of a group including specifically bonding receptors and substances which can be specifically bonded by these receptors are based on a process comprising incubating one of the components, after it is immobilizing on the surface of a material having refractive index different from that of the components, with the other particular component and, optionally, further components, which can be labelled; irradiating the surface with electromagnetic radiation which is polarized parallel to the plane of incidence, the angle of incidence of the radiation being approximately equal to the angle .PHI. at which the intensity of the radiation reflected from the uncoated or precoated surface reaches a minimum; and ascertaining the intensity of the reflected radiation as a measure of the concentration to be determined.

Abstract: A method for coating a planar surface (5) of a semiconductor or insulator (3) with a polymer film according to a given pattern. The substrate to be coated constitutes one electrode (3) in an electrolytic cell whose electrolyte (2) contains monomers of said polymer. The substrate and the monomers are selected such that electrolytic oxidation or reduction occurs when a voltage is applied across the cell electrodes (3, 4) simultaneous with an area of the surface (5) to be coated being irradiated with radiation having energy larger than the energy gap between the valence band and conduction band of said substrate. The irradiation is performed with a sharply defined beam (10) simultaneous with a relative motion of said beam and the substrate surface (5) thereby making the polymer film of the desired pattern. The polymer, for example, is polypyrrole formed by electro-oxidation of a pyrrole monomer in an electrolytic solution containing pyrrole monomer and tetraethylammonium tetrafluoroborate in acetonitrile.

Abstract: An apparatus for detecting and measuring the presence and the concentration, respectively, of halogenated hydrocarbons, in particular anaesthetic gases, as halothane, enfluorane, metoxyfluorane and isofluorane, in a mixture of gases comprises a piezoelectric crystal, which has its surface coated with a thin layer of a substrate and which is so arranged that the substrate layer can be brought into contact with the gas mixture. The crystal is coupled to an oscillator circuit which is connected to means for measuring changes in the oscillating frequency of the crystal and thus also of the oscillator circuit caused by adsorption by the substrate layer of the gas component to be detected. The substrate layer comprises a silicone oil having a structural formula comprising large branch chains or pendant blocks. Preferably a silicone oil is used comprising a silicone glycol copolymer.

Abstract: Method for studying biochemical reactions in which a substance, whose activity or concentration is to be determined, affects a substrate specific for the biochemical reaction which includes providing electrodes coated with the substrate, determining as the control value, the capacitance in a measuring device containing the electrodes, introducing the substance into the measuring device, measuring the change in capacitance, and thereby obtaining a quantitative measure of the activity or concentration of the substance present in the sample and affecting the specific substrate on the electrodes.