Method and apparatus for titration

Claim 1

IN A CONTINUOUS TITRATOR, THE COMBINATION OF: A MIXER HAVING AN INLET AND AN OUTLET; A COULOMETRIC REAGENT GENERATOR FOR CONTINUOUSLY GENERATING A TITRANT BY ELECTRICAL CURRENT FLOW THROUGH AN ELECTROLYTE SUPPLIED TO SAID GENERATOR, SAID GENERATOR HAVING AN ELECTROLYTE INLET AND A TITRANT OUTLET, SAID OUTLET BEING POSITIONED TO DELIVER TITRANT TO SAID MIXER INLET; MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID GENERATOR INLET FOR DELIVERING A FLOW OF ELECTROLYTE FROM A SOURCE OF ELECTROLYTE TO SAID GENERATOR, SAID ELECTROLYTE DELIVERY MEANS TO SAID GENERATOR, SAID ELECTROLYTE DELIVERY MEANS INCLUDING MEANS FOR CONTROLLING SAID ELECTROLYTE FLOW; MEANS COUPLED WITH SAID MIXER INLET FOR DELIVERING A FLOW OF SAMPLE FROM A SOURCE OF SAMPLE TO SAID MIXER INLET, SAID SAMPLE DELIVERY MEANS INCLUDING MEANS FOR CONTROLLING SAID SAMPLE FLOW, SAID MIXER MIXING SAID SAMPLING AND TITRANT TO PRODUCE A REACTION PRODUCT AT SAID MIXER OUTLET; ELECTROLYTIC MEANS FOR RECEIVING SAID RECTION PRODUCT AND MEASURING THE ION CONCENTRATION OF SAID REACTION PRODUCT WHICH CONCENTRATION VARIES AS A RATIO OF TITRANT TO SAMPLE, SAID ELECTROLYTIC MEASURING MEANS INCLUDING HIGHLY WETTABLE MATERIAL IN CONTACT WITH THE LOWER PORTION THEREOF FOR RAPIDLY REMOVING SAID REACTION PRODUCT FROM SAID MEASURING MEANS TO MINIMIZE REACTION PRODUCT HOLDUP ON SAID MEASURING MEANS; MEANS FOR PROVIDING FLOW COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SAID MIXER OUTLET AND SAID ELECTROLYTIC MEASURING MEANS, SAID FLOW COMMUNICATION MEANS INCULDING MEANS DEFINING A GAP BETWEEN SAID MIXER OUTLET AND SAID ELECTROYTIC MEASURING MEANS, SAID ELECTROLYTIC FLOW CONTROL MEANS AND SAID SAMPLE FLOW CONTROL MEANS BEING SET TO PROVIDE DELIVERY OF SAID REACTION PRODUCT IN DISCRETE DROPS FROM SAID MIXER OUTLET, THROUGH SAID GAP, TO SAID ELECTROLYTIC MEASURING MEANS; AND CURRENT CONTROL MEANS COUPLING SAID ELECTROLYTIC MEASURING MEANS AND SAID GENERATOR FOR VARYING THE CURRENT IN SAID GENERATOR AND THEREBY THE TITRANT OUTPUT THEREOF AS A FUNCTION OF THE MEASURED ION CONCENTRATION OF SAID REACTION PRODUCT TO PRODUCE A PARTICULAR ION CONCENTRATION IN SAID REACTION PRODUCT AT SAID MEASURING MEANS.