Controlled-Growth Mercury Drop Electrode and Perspectives in Process Monitoring Application

Abstract

The concept of the dropping mercury electrode (DME) and the technical solution of the device for its realization as proposed by Heyrovsky (1922) have been applied in many laboratories. This kind of working electrode, the so-called Polarographic detector, implies measuring of the current on a mercury drop whose surface is continuously expanding, while the maximum size of the drop is gravity controlled. A particular fraction of the current, the so-called charging current, which is connected with the changing of the drop area or with the changing of the potential of the electrode is independent of the concentration of the depolarizer. The charging current can be concidered as the background signal.