Copper Detection Assay Kit (Fluorometric)

Copper (Cu) is a d-block transition metal that occurs abundantly in nature. It is considered a micronutrient and is the third most abundant trace metal in the human body after iron and zinc (~70-100 mg). Copper supports several biological functions, primarily as a cofactor for enzymes like tyrosinase, amine oxidase and superoxide dismutase. The recommended dietary allowance for copper is ~900 µg/day. Excessive copper intake can lead to undesirable toxic effects and health conditions like liver disease. Since excessive copper intake can lead to copper toxicity, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has set an upper limit for copper content in water supplies at 200 µM. Copper content in water supplies can increase due to industrial contamination or leaching of copper from supply pipes. Water supplies must be routinely tested to ensure that copper concentration is below this limit. BioVision’s Copper Detection assay is a very simple one step plate-based assay that is highly selective for copper and free of interference from other contaminants in water supplies. The assay depends on a reaction catalyzed by Cu1+ ions that produces a highly fluorescent product. The rate of the reaction is proportional to the amount of copper present in water samples. The assay can detect as low as 0.1 nmol of copper and is linear up to 1 nmol.