A new technique for the determination of low CO2 concentrations in liquids

A new method is described by which total CO2 concentration as low as 0.05 mM can be determined in 2 ml samples of liquid. The principle is based on the measurement of CO2 escape from the liquid into the gas phase following acidification and vigorous stirring of samples. This escape is recorded as pressure variations at constant volume and temperature by means of an electronic manometer connected to the reaction vessel. The precision, which depends on the amount of total CO2 present, ranges from 5 to 15 muM.