pH METER 3505

Protocol: P01-001A

The Calibration Procedure for the Jenway 3505 pH Meter

Introduction
pH is the scale of measurement of acidity or alkalinity in aqueous (water based) solutions. A neutral solution such as pure water has a pH of 7. Solutions with a lower pH are termed acidic and solutions with a higher pH are termed alkaline. The accurate measurement of pH requires a pH electrode system and a pH meter. The pH electrode system is made up of two parts. The first is a pH sensor, which consists of a special pH sensitive glass. The output voltage of this sensor is proportional to the pH of the solution. The second is a reference sensor which provides a stable and constant reference point. Modern pH electrodes combine the pH and reference sensors to form the combination pH electrodes that are supplied with all Jenway pH meters. A pH meter is a device which measures the voltage from the electrode system and converts it to a pH reading. All pH measuring systems must be calibrated against standard solutions (pH buffers) to ensure the highest level of accuracy. These buffer solutions are available at values across the pH range (0 to 14) and are formulated to various national and international standards. All buffer solution pH values are temperature dependant and care should be taken to calibrate to the temperature corrected value of the buffer. i.e. the pH at the actual temperature of the buffer and not the nominal value.(Figure 1.) Jenway Auto-Buffer Set Temperature 0 C 10 C 20 C 25 C 30 C pH 2 at 25 C 2.010 2.010 2.010 2.000 1.990 pH 4 at 25 C 4.000 4.000 4.000 4.005 4.009 pH 7 at 25 C 7.120 7.065 7.020 7.005 6.990 pH 9.2 at 25C 9.520 9.381 9.261 9.207 9.152 pH 10 at 25 C 10.270 10.180 10.005 10.000 9.950 Figure 1. The temperature corrected buffer values for the Jenway buffer set Changing a samples temperature also affects the electrode systems response and measurement of that sample.(Figure 2.) When performing a measurement the temperature of the buffer or sample needs to be known so that the meter can compensate for this effect. This is achieved by either using an automatic temperature compensation probe or entering the sample temperature into the meter manually.
Typical pH electrode response as a function of temperature mV 600 400 200 0 -200 -400 -600 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

100C (74.04mV/pH) 25 (59.16mV/pH) C

pH

0 (54.20mV/pH) C

Figure 2. The variation in pH electrode response to buffer temperature

When calibrating a pH meter two buffer solutions, whose pH values bracket the expected pH value of the unknown sample, should be used in the calibration procedure. In this protocol the most commonly used buffers; pH 4, 7 and 10, which are available from the Jenway range of buffer solutions, are used to demonstrate the calibration procedure. The following protocol describes three procedures for calibrating the Jenway 3505 meter and pH electrode: 1. Calibration for the measurement of acidic samples, using automatic temperature compensation. 2. Calibration for the measurement of alkaline samples, using automatic temperature compensation. 3. Calibration using manual temperature compensation.

jenwayhelp@bibby-scientific.com www.jenway.com Tel: 01785 810433

Methods
Calibration of the 3505 using an automatic temperature compensation (ATC) probe for the testing of acidic samples (pH < 7.0) 1. Connect the pH electrode (924 001) and temperature probe (027 500) to the unit. Turn the function switch to pH. The unit will power up and show a pH reading based on the last calibration. The adjustment controls have no function. 2. Immerse the pH electrode and temperature probe in the pH 7 buffer, ensuring that the bulb and junction are covered by liquid. 3. Turn the function switch to pH Cal. Allow the pH reading to stabilise and then, using the Buffer Control switch, adjust the display to the correct pH value of the pH 7 buffer solution at the temperature displayed on the meter. 4. Rinse the electrode and temperature probe with deionised water and then immerse in the pH 4 buffer solution. 5. When the reading stabilises, using the Slope/Manual Temperature Control switch, adjust the display to the correct pH value of the pH 4 buffer solution at the temperature displayed on the meter. 6. Repeat steps 2 to 5 until no further adjustment is required. Care should be taken over which switch is adjusted as they are interdependent. 7. Switch the function switch to pH. The buffer control and slope control will no longer be adjustable. Rinse the pH electrode and temperature probe with deionised water. Then immerse the electrode and temperature probe in the first unknown acidic solution. Allow the reading to stabilise and record the result. Calibration of the 3505 using an automatic temperature compensation (ATC) probe for the testing of alkaline samples (pH > 7.0) 1. Connect the pH electrode (924 001) and temperature probe (027 500) to the unit. Turn the function switch to pH. The unit will power up and show a pH reading based on the last calibration. The adjustment controls have no function. 2. Immerse the pH electrode and temperature probe in the pH 7 buffer, ensuring that the bulb and junction are covered by liquid. 3. Turn the function switch to pH Cal. Allow the pH reading to stabilise and then, using the Buffer Control switch, adjust the display to the correct pH value of the pH 7 buffer solution at the temperature displayed on the meter. 4. Rinse the pH electrode and temperature probe with deionised water and then immerse in the pH 10 buffer solution. 5. When the reading stabilises, using the Slope/Manual Temperature Control switch, adjust the display to the correct pH value of the pH 10 buffer solution at the temperature displayed on the meter. 6. Repeat steps 2 to 5 until no further adjustment is required. Care should be taken over which switch is adjusted as they are interdependent. 7. Switch the function switch to pH. The buffer control and slope control will no longer be adjustable. Rinse the pH electrode and temperature probe with deionised water. Then immerse the electrode and temperature probe in the first unknown alkaline solution. Allow the reading to stabilise and record the result. Calibration of the 3505 with Manual Temperature Compensation 1. Connect the pH electrode (924 001) to the unit and ensure that the supplied temperature probe is disconnected. 2. Measure the temperature of the buffer solutions with a thermometer. The display should then be set to C the measured buffer solution temperature using the Slope/Manual Temp control. 3. Immerse the pH electrode in the pH 7 buffer, ensuring that the bulb and junction are covered by liquid 4. Turn the function switch to pH Cal. Allow the pH reading to stabilise and then, using the Buffer Control switch, adjust the display to the correct pH value of the pH 7 buffer solution at the temperature measured in 2. 5. Rinse the pH electrode in deionised water. jenwayhelp@bibby-scientific.com www.jenway.com Tel: 01785 810433

6. Immerse the pH electrode in pH 4 or 10 buffer, depending on the type of sample to be tested; acidic or alkaline. Allow sufficient time for the pH reading to stabilise. Set the display to read the correct pH value of the buffer solution at the temperature measured in 2 using the Slope/Manual Temp control. 7. Repeat steps 3-6 until no further adjustments are necessary. Care should be taken when making adjustments as the controls are interdependent. 8. Switch the function switch to pH. The buffer control and slope control will no longer be adjustable. 9. If the temperature of the unknown solution differs from the buffer, the Slope/Manual Temp Control should be used to set the instrument display to the temperature of the unknown solution. Rinse the pH electrode with deionised water. Then immerse the electrode in the first unknown solution. Allow the reading to stabilise and record the result.

Conclusion
The accurate measurement of unknown samples pH is dependant on accurate calibration of the pH meter/electrode system. In turn, calibration is dependant on the accuracy of the buffer solutions used. It is important to remember that buffer solutions are not always stable. The pH value of the buffer changes with variations in temperature, they absorb CO2 from the atmosphere and pH changes can result from volume loss through evaporation. Ensure that when you are calibrating your Jenway 3505 pH meter you use fresh buffer solutions that have been stored in accordance with the manufacturers instructions.

jenwayhelp@bibby-scientific.com www.jenway.com Tel: 01785 810433