Automatic titration apparatus and method

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE CONTINUOUS AMPEROMETRIC TITRATION OF AN UNKNOWN AMOUNT OF A SUBSTANCE WHICH SUBSTANCE IS REACTIVE TO A TITRATING AGENT, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: CONTINUOUSLY BUBBLING A GAS, HAVING UNKNOWN AMOUNTS OF SAID SUBSTANCE TO BE MEASURED, AT A SUBSTANTIALLY FIXED RATE, INTO A FIRST REGION OF A POOL OF ELECTROLYTIC SOLUTION CONTAINING IONS OF A TITRATING AGENT; PROVIDING A POTENTIAL BETWEEN A FIRST PAIR OF CLOSELY SPACED ELECTRODES DISPOSED IN SAID FIRST REGION TO ELECTROLYTICALLY FORM TITRATING AGENT, IN SITU, IN SAID FIRST REGION OF SAID POOL OF ELECTROLYTIC SOLUTION, WHEREBY SAID TITRATING AGENT AND SAID SUBSTANCE ARE REACTED; PASSING THE GAS WITH ANY UNREACTED TITRATING AGENT INTO A SECOND REGION; PROVIDING A POTENTIAL BETWEEN A SECOND PAIR OF CLOSELY SPACED ELECTRODES DISPOSED IN SAID SECOND REGION TO ELECTROLYTICALLY REDUCE AND THEN ELECTROLYTICALLY OXIDIZE ANY UNREACTED TITRATING AGENT THEREBY PRODUCING A CURRENT FLOW, SAID FIRST PAIR OF ELECTRODES BEING IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT SAID SECOND PAIR OF ELECTRODES AND EACH ELECTRODE BEING UNSHIELDED FROM THE OTHER ELECTRODES; CONTROLLING THE AMOUNT OF ELECTROLYTIC FORMATION OF SAID TITRATING AGENT, IN SITU, FROM SAID POOL OF ELECTROLYTIC SOLUTION IN RESPONSE TO SAID CURRENT FLOW; MEASURING THE AVERAGE CURRENT FLOW BETWEEN SAID FIRST PAIR OF ELECTRODES; AND PERIODICALLY REPLENISHING SAID POOL OF ELECTROLYTIC SOLUTION.