Method and apparatus for equilibrating a gas with a liquid and for analyzing a gas

Claim 1

A METHOD OF CONTINUOUSLY AND INSTANTANEOUSLY MEASURING THE FLUCTUATING CONCENTRATION OF A GASEOUS COMPONENT OF A BODY OF GAS, SAID GASEOUS COMPONENT BEING CAPABLE OF BEING PHYSICALLY DISSOLVED IN AN ELECTROLYTE AND BEING CAPABLE, WHEN SO DISSOLVED, OF AN ELECTROLYTIC REACTION AT THE ELECTRODE OF A HALF CELL AND OF PRODUCING AN ELCTROMOTIVE FORCE AT SUCH ELECTRODE WHICH IS PROPORTIONAL TO THE CONCENTRATION OF THE PHYSICALLY DISSOLVED GAEOUS COMPONENT IN THE ELECTROLYTE AT THE SURFACE OF THE ELECTRODE, SAID METHOD COMPRISING: PROVIDING SUCH A HALF CELL AND ALSO PROVIDING A LIQUID ELECTROLYTE; FLOWING A THIN FILM OF SAID ELECTROLYTE OVER THE SURFACE OF SAID ELECTRODE, THE THINNESS OF SAID FILM BEING SUCH THAT THE TIME REQUIRED FOR DIFFUSION OF SAID GASEOUS COMPONENT THROUGH THE FILM TO THE SURFACE OF THE ELECTRODE IS NEGLIGIBLE AND MAINTAINING SAID BODY OF GAS IN DYNAMIC PHYSICAL SOLUTION EQUILIBRIUM WITH SAID FLOWING FILM OF ELECTROLYTE.