Whether you are performing an experiment in a laboratory or need a water analysis report for your field application, you would require a pH meter to meet your needs. As the name suggests, a pH meter is a device used to measure the pH value, i.e., the acidity and alkalinity of fluids, semi-solids, and other substances. For instance, monitoring of pH of drinking water with pH meters is important because it showcases the chemical properties of water such as potability, acidic nature, and solubility, which affects its suitability for use or consumption.
What is pH value?
The pH value of a substance is basically the ratio between the hydrogen ion concentration and hydroxyl ion concentration. For the same reason, pH is also known as the ‘potential of hydrogen’ or ‘power of hydrogen’.
Components of a pH meter
The pH meter can be either digital or come fit with a moving coil. A pH meter is made of two electrodes. Out of the two electrodes, one is an internal electrode and the other is a reference electrode. Some pH meters may only have one electrode.
Reading pH using a pH meter
When a pH meter is immersed in a liquid, it measures the electrical potential difference between the internal electrode and the reference electrode and displays the pH value of the solution. A buffer solution of pH7 is placed inside the reference electrode. The pH value is the difference in the hydrogen ions between the reference buffer inside the probe and the sample solution. However, it is important to regularly calibrate the pH meter with appropriate buffer solutions before making any measurements.
If the sample solution is acidic, the degree of hydrogen ion activity will be high, and the number of hydroxide ions will be less. However, if the water is alkaline, it will be the opposite.
The number of hydrogen ions is expressed in the ranges from 1 to 14. A neutral solution has a pH of 7 while an acidic solution exhibits pH readings below 7 and an alkaline solution shows a pH level above 7.
What are pH meters used for?
A pH meter is widely used in a number of applications, such as in food and beverage plants, water treatment facilities, oil and gas companies, and in the pharmaceutical and agricultural sectors.
For example, in a water treatment process, it is important to measure the acidic level of wastewater. Similarly, if you are in the fishing business and you would want to provide a certain pH for a particular species of fish by checking the pH levels, you could do this easily with a pH meter. Likewise, it is also helpful in analyzing the exact pH value of food-grade products and chemical products to ensure safety and quality. Other applications include checking the level of acidity in a medium used for cell culture finding out the acidic property of soil or evaluating the acidity or alkalinity of drugs in pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.
There are different types of pH meters available in the market. Ranging from portable hand-held pH meters to pocket testers to bench meters and test kits, we have a number of pH meters available on our website. If you are looking for a pH meter, we have the right device on our website to meet your specific requirements.
