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pH measurements
The probe, from chemistry to voltage
to a number

Monroe L. Weber-Shirk

School of Civil and

Environmental Engineering

pH probe
Buffered KCl solution
4 M KCl solution
Reference electrode
Silver/silver chloride electrode
Sensing electrode

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Porous reference junction

Glass bulb (insulator) with
anionic sites

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Reference Voltage +
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Call it+ zero!
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pH 4 solution (high H+)
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Voltage across glass membrane

Solution voltage is 180 mV higher than reference!
We need a way to measure the solution voltage

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Glass membrane (Insulator)

pH Measurements

The porous frit provides electrical contact between

the solution and the electrolyte
Must be in contact with the sample solution
Probe wont work well if frit is clogged (fouled)

The voltage measurement requires a very high

impedance circuit (high resistance) because a pH
__________
probe cant produce much current
Gentle stirring keeps the solution next to the glass
bulb from being depleted of protons

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Difficult Measurements?
pH

is difficult to measure in poorly buffered

solutions
Distilled

water

Rain
Between

pKs of dilute buffers

Nernst Equation: Voltage = f(pH)

E E0

E E0

RT FH

lnG
nF G
HH

I
JJ
K
RT ln(10) FH

logG
G
nF
HH

H + Reference (known) [H+]

I
JJ
K

RT ln(10)
0

E =E +
pH
- pH

nF
E E ) nF
(

pH pH 0

RT ln(10)

Faraday constant

Gas constant

E0

H
Voltage at

J
R 8.314
mol K
Coulombs
F 96500
mol e
n 1 mol e

Nernst Equation

E (mV)

pH pH 0

0
E

E
(
) nF

E
E nF
0
pH = pH + 0 -
T
T R ln(10)

RT ln(10)

250
200
150
100
50
0
-50
-100
-150
-200
-250

J
R 8.314
mol K

E at 0 C
E at 25 C
E at 35 C
E at 100 C

Coulombs
F 96500
mol e
n 1 mol e

7
pH

10

Slope vs. Temperature

mV/pH

E 0.000198T pH 7
75
70
65
60
55
50
0

50

100

Temperature (C)

Temperature

compensation is important!

pH Calibration

It would be possible to make a pH measurement

without any calibration
Based on theoretical values
This is how the software recognizes buffers!

Calibration accounts for non-ideal probe behavior

(fouling) as well as electronic measurement errors
It is important that buffers be used covering the
range of pH measurements

The Challenge
0 to 3 known buffers used as standards
Temperature compensation optional
E

Buffer pH

Current measurement (E, T)

pH

Calibration Cases
0 or 1 standards w/ Temperature
nF E 0 E
0
pH

pH

R ln(10) T 0 T
ideal

pH =k pH

E
E
0
+
pH

T 0 T

pH k ideal
pH

E
7
T

E
E
ideal
pH =k pH 1 - +pH 1
T T

ideal

k pH

ideal

k pH

nF

R ln(10)

K
5040.8
Volt

No standards (assume ideal

slope and intercept)
Single standard (assume
ideal slope)

Multiple Point Calibrations w/

Temperature Compensation
How

would you use

this information to
calculate pH?

Calculate E/T
Piecewise linear fit

E (mV)

T (C)

Buffer
pH

23

185

24

-170

20

10

Current measurement (E, T)

pH