Abstract Apparatus and method for measuring ionic concentration by electro-chemical means, wherein a two-compartment measuring cell is provided with ion-sensitive membranes to produce a voltage responsive to the difference in concentration of a predetermined reagent to the difference in concentration of a predetermined reagent in the two compartments, one of the compartments being furnished with pure reagent from a standard solution, the other compartment being furnished with a mixture of the reagent and a sample ion the concentration of which is to be determined; the reagent in the latter mixture is generated coulometrically by an anode the current to which is controlled by the differential cell output signal; in one embodiment, a silver anode is isolated from the sample by a silver-sulfide membrane.
A METHOD OF ANALYZING THE CONCENTRATION OF THE IONS OF A FLOWING FLUID SAMPLE THE IONS OF WHICH REACT CHEMICALLY WITH SILVER IONS, AND WHEREIN THE FLUID SAMPLE INCLUDES AN OXIDIZING MEDIUM, SAID METHOD COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: FLOWING CURRENT THROUGH A PAIR OF ELECTRODES, ONE OF WHICH IS A SILVER ELECTRODE IN A SILVER SOLUTION, TO GENERATE COULOMETRICALLY A REAGENT CONTAINING SILVER IONS FOR REACTING CHEMICALLY WITH IONS OF THE FLUID SAMPLE TRANSFERRING SAID SILVER IONS INTO SAID FLUID SAMPLE TO FORM A SOLUTION EFFECTING SAID CHEMICAL REACTION OT REDUCE THE CONCENTRATION OF SAID SILVER IONS BY AN AMOUNT PROPORTIONAL TO THE CONCENTRATION OF IONS IN THE FLUID SAMPLE ISOLATING SAID SILVER ELECTRODE FROM SAID FLOWING FLUID SAMPLE BY INTERPOSING THEREBETWEEN A SILVER-SULFIDE MEMBRANE WHICH ALLOWS ONLY SILVER IONS TO PASS THERETHROUGH, WHEREBY TO PREVENT SAID OXIDIzING MEDIUM FROM REACHING SAID SILVER ELECTRODE AND GENERATING ADDITIONAL SILVER IONS; FLOWING SAID SOLUTION BY ONE SIDE OF A SILVER-SULFIDE MEMBRANE SYSTEM SENSITIVE TO SILVER IONS; FLOWING A KNOW CONCENTRATION OF SILVER IONS BY THE OTHER SIDE OF SAID SILVER-SULFIDE MEMBRANE SYSTEM; AND SENSING THE SIGNAL DEVELOPED BY SAID SILVER-SULFIDE MEMBRANE SYSTEM TO EFFECT A MEASUREMENT OF THE IONIC CONCENTRATION OF THE FLUID SAMPLE.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
202 words
A METHOD OF ANALYZING THE CONCENTRATION OF THE IONS OF A FLOWING FLUID SAMPLE THE IONS OF WHICH REACT CHEMICALLY WITH SILVER IONS, AND WHEREIN THE FLUID SAMPLE INCLUDES AN OXIDIZING MEDIUM, SAID METHOD COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: FLOWING CURRENT THROUGH A PAIR OF ELECTRODES, ONE OF WHICH IS A SILVER ELECTRODE IN A SILVER SOLUTION, TO GENERATE COULOMETRICALLY A REAGENT CONTAINING SILVER IONS FOR REACTING CHEMICALLY WITH IONS OF THE FLUID SAMPLE TRANSFERRING SAID SILVER IONS INTO SAID FLUID SAMPLE TO FORM A SOLUTION EFFECTING SAID CHEMICAL REACTION OT REDUCE THE CONCENTRATION OF SAID SILVER IONS BY AN AMOUNT PROPORTIONAL TO THE CONCENTRATION OF IONS IN THE FLUID SAMPLE ISOLATING SAID SILVER ELECTRODE FROM SAID FLOWING FLUID SAMPLE BY INTERPOSING THEREBETWEEN A SILVER-SULFIDE MEMBRANE WHICH ALLOWS ONLY SILVER IONS TO PASS THERETHROUGH, WHEREBY TO PREVENT SAID OXIDIzING MEDIUM FROM REACHING SAID SILVER ELECTRODE AND GENERATING ADDITIONAL SILVER IONS; FLOWING SAID SOLUTION BY ONE SIDE OF A SILVER-SULFIDE MEMBRANE SYSTEM SENSITIVE TO SILVER IONS; FLOWING A KNOW CONCENTRATION OF SILVER IONS BY THE OTHER SIDE OF SAID SILVER-SULFIDE MEMBRANE SYSTEM; AND SENSING THE SIGNAL DEVELOPED BY SAID SILVER-SULFIDE MEMBRANE SYSTEM TO EFFECT A MEASUREMENT OF THE IONIC CONCENTRATION OF THE FLUID SAMPLE.