A novel concentric double-barrelled calcium-selective microelectrode for small cells

A novel concentric design of double-barrelled Ca 2+ -selective microelectrode, with an inner pipette tip that protrudes beyond an outer one, has recently been developed and is described. This configuration of pipettes was produced from concentric capillaries in one step using a horizontal pipette puller. For the tip of the inner barrel to protrude, Coming 1724 aluminosilicate glass was selected, as it has a higher melting point than the 1723 glass which is used for the outer barrel. To reduce electrode resistance the inner capillary was best made with a triangular shape. It was preferentially silanized in a dry box by injection of methyltrichlorosilane into only the inner barrel. The Ca 2+ neutral carrier-based liquid membrane (ETH 1001) was back-filled from the tip to the shank of the inner pipette and above this CaCl 2 solution was added. KCl, which contained EGTA and was buffered to pCa 7, was used to fill the reference barrel. These Ca 2+ electrodes showed linear response with slope [Formula: see text] for changes in Ca 2+ concentration between 10 −3 and 10 −7 M in the presence of constant [K + ]. They offer a number of advantages including a low noise level achieved by the presence of the external concentric KCl electrode, and a simple mechanical structure that allows applications to a variety of small cells.