Use of the Polarograph in the industrial hygiene laboratory

Polarography is a classical voltammetric technique used to analyze electrochemical reactions. This method applies a linear potential sweep to a dropping mercury electrode (DME), and the resulting current is measured. A dropping mercury electrode is commonly used as the working electrode in polarography. It consists of a capillary tube filled with mercury, where the tiny droplet forms at the tip. This droplet continuously drops from the capillary, creating a new electrode surface for each...

Polarimetry finds application in chemical kinetics to measure the concentration and reaction kinetics of optically active substances during a chemical reaction. Optically active substances have the capability of rotating the plane of polarization of linearly polarized light passing through them—a feature called optical rotation. Optical activity is attributed to the molecular structure of substances. Normal monochromatic light is unpolarized and possesses oscillations of the electrical field in...

In gas chromatography, different detectors are employed to meet specific analytical needs. These detectors are often categorized based on their detection mechanisms and the types of compounds they are best suited to analyze. Thermal Conductivity Detectors (TCD), Flame Ionization Detectors (FID), and Electron Capture Detectors (ECD) represent common categories, each with unique operating principles and applications. However, beyond these, several other detectors are designed for more specialized...

Gas chromatography (GC) relies on stationary phases to separate and analyze components in a sample. There are two main types of stationary phases: liquid and solid. Liquid stationary phases are non-volatile, thermally stable, and chemically inert liquids coated onto the column. Solid stationary phases are particles of adsorbent material, such as silica gel or molecular sieves.
For an analyte to remain on the column for a sufficient amount of time, it must exhibit some level of compatibility (or...

There are different types of detectors used in gas chromatography, each with its own specific properties that make it suitable for detecting certain types of analytes. The most commonly used detectors in GC are thermal conductivity detector (TCD), flame ionization detector (FID), and electron capture detector (ECD).
TCD is the earliest and most widely used detector that operates by measuring the changes in the thermal conductivity of the carrier gas. When a sample compound enters the detector,...

High-performance liquid chromatography, or HPLC, is an analytical technique that separates liquid samples under high pressures. An HPLC instrument consists of glass bottles for storing solvents called mobile phase reservoirs. HPLC-grade solvents are used to maintain high purity, and the dissolved gases are removed using a degasser, such as a vacuum pumping system or sparging with helium. The solvents are then pumped into the analytical column using a screw-driven syringe or reciprocating pumps.