Direct current measurement methods

The techniques and apparatus which have been developed to measure electrolytic conductivities in nonaqueous solutions have been adapted from aqueous conductivity measurements with some modifications. Direct current measurements suffer the limitation of requiring reversible electrodes - a serious limitation in nonaqueous solvents. Although this problem can be circumvented U in some instances, virtually all precision conductance data have been taken using the alternating current method. General descriptions of this method are given in several sources. 2>3)... 

In this chapter we take a careful look at the phenomenon of electrical conductivity of materials, particularly electrolytic solutions. In the first section, the nature of electrical conductivity and its relation to the electrolyte composition and temperature is developed. The first section and the second (which deals with the direct-current contact methods for measuring conductance) introduce the basic considerations and techniques of conductance measurement. This introduction to conductance measurements is useful to the scientist, not only for electrolytic conductance, but also for understanding the applications of common resistive indicator devices such as thermistors for temperature, photoconductors for light, and strain gauges for mechanical distortion. The third section of this chapter describes the special techniques that are used to minimize the effects of electrode phenomena on the measurement of electrolytic conductance. In that section you will encounter the most recent solutions to the problems of conductometric measurements, the solutions that have sparked the resurgent interest in analytical conductometry. 

Conductivity Direct current measurement, Dielectric measurement, Thermally Stimulated Discharge (TSD) method A—>C 46-49... 

Electrochemical and Electrical Methods. Electrochemical and electrical methods for studying film properties and corrosion phenomena have been extensively reviewed (29-31). Comparisons of corrosion test results with direct current measurements of conductivity suggest that visible corrosion is associated with film resistance less than about 1 Mohm/cm, but this condition may well correspond with the occurrence of virtual pores in the film allowing development of local conductive pathways. In studies of the equivalent alternating current resistance as a function of frequency, Kendig and Leidheiser (44) found that the development of a region of slope -1 on a log permittivity versus log frequency plot... 

The critical volume concentration for the blends used here lies in the region of 8 vol,%. In agreement with direct current measurements by the four-point method, this was determined in the test design used here by analysing the complex dielectric function (DF) (7 = 260(0 at 5 Hz (see Figure 11.110). 

It is conceivable that direct-current measurement, which is a perfectly valid method for solid electrolytes associated with non-polarizable electrodes, would only allow us to access qualitative information if the electrode is ideally or partially polarizable. 

Conductance data can be obtained by alternating current (AC) techniques, direct current measurements, or by the electrode-less high-frequency method. In practice, the first method is by far the most widely used its principles were formulated in the last century by Kohlrausch. 

Jones (1971,1972), based on kinetic considerations, postulated the adoption of a criterion for a permissible corrosion rate on the basis of a polarization characteristic of a given corrosion system determined beforehand. In order to determine the corrosion rate at polarisation potential CP> knowledge of the course of the partial curve of the anodic reaction is necessary. The first steps in the analysis of partial currents of corrosion systems were made by Stern and Geary (1957), who described the method of determination of the Tafel coefficient of the anodic reaction on the basis of direct current measurement results of the cathodic polarization curve. Extrapolation of the linear section of this curve to a corrosion potential Ej-orr allows reproduction of a fragment of the anodic polarization partial curve at chosen potential values, as a difference between the polarization current and the partial cathodic current. 

In contrast to a direct injection of dc or ac currents in the sample to be tested, the induction of eddy currents by an external excitation coil generates a locally limited current distribution. Since no electrical connection to the sample is required, eddy current NDE is easier to use from a practical point of view, however, the choice of the optimum measurement parameters, like e.g. the excitation frequency, is more critical. Furthermore, the calculation of the current flow in the sample from the measured field distribution tends to be more difficult than in case of a direct current injection. A homogenous field distribution produced by e.g. direct current injection or a sheet inducer [1] allows one to estimate more easily the defect geometry. However, for the detection of technically relevant cracks, these methods do not seem to be easily applicable and sensitive enough, especially in the case of deep lying and small cracks. 

Contacts with other pipelines or grounds can be localized to within a few hundred meters by pipe current measurements. Contacts with foreign pipelines or cables can also be found by measuring potential at the fittings of the other line while the protection current of the cathodically protected pipeline is switched on and off. While the potential of unconnected pipelines will assume more positive values when the protection current is switched on, the cathodic current may also enter any line in contact with the cathodically protected pipeline and thus shift its potential to more negative values. Should the contacting line not be located by this method, fault location can be attempted with direct or alternating current. 

Location of faults by the direct current method is based on the application of Ohm s Law. It is assumed that, because of the good pipe coating, virtually no current passes into the measured span and that the longitudinal resistance R is known. When the fault-locating current, I, is fed in and takes a direct path via the foreign line to the protected pipeline, the fault distance is determined from the voltage drop AU over the measured span ... 

The purpose of this article is to present a detailed description of the current field methods for collection of samples while measuring exposure of pesticides to farm workers. These current field methods encompass detailed descriptions of the methods for measuring respiratory and also dermal exposure for workers who handle the pesticide products directly (mixer-loaders and applicators) and for re-entry workers who are exposed to pesticide dislodgeable residues when re-entering treated crops. 

Such techniques imply analysis of chemical products of photolysis. Application of mass-spectrometers of various types is often hampered by a number of circumstances. These difficulties will be discussed later on. The EPR method, which is currently the most extensively employed technique, features low sensitivity and is usually used for analysis of primary fragments of photolysis. For this purpose, the radicals produced are frozen on the walls of a quartz pin and are thus accumulated inside the device. On one hand, this approach allows one to overcome the sensitivity threshold of the device. However, on the other hand, this excludes the possibility of direct kinetic measurements. The SS technique permits the use of weak light sources for detecting active particles under... 

Ionization Chamber Method DSC directly sampled to an evacuated chamber, current measurement... 

In IMS, supportive materials, whose surfaces are coated with conductive materials, are used in principal. In the simplest way, the tissue slices can be placed on a metal MALDI plate directly.9 In this case, however, the target plate must be cleaned carefully after the measurement is over. Currently, the method commonly used is that samples are prepared on a disposable plastic sheet or a glass slide coated with series of conductive materials. In particular, a plastic sheet (ITO sheet) or glass slide (ITO glass slide available from Bruker Daltonics K.K., Billerica, MA, or Sigma, St. Louis, MO) coated with ITO (indium-tin oxide) is useful because it has superior optical transparency... 

The simplest analytical method is direct measurement of arsenic in volatile methylated arsenicals by atomic absorption [ 11 ]. A slightly more complicated system, but one that permits differentiation of the various forms of arsenic, uses reduction of the arsenic compounds to their respective arsines by treatment with sodium borohydride. The arsines are collected in a cold trap (liquid nitrogen), then vaporised separately by slow warming, and the arsenic is measured by monitoring the intensity of an arsenic spectral line, as produced by a direct current electrical discharge [1,12,13]. Essentially the same method was proposed by Talmi and Bostick [10] except that they collected the arsines in cold toluene (-5 °C), separated them on a gas chromatography column, and used a mass spectrometer as the detector. Their method had a sensitivity of 0.25 xg/l for water samples. 

Two objects are similar and have similar properties to the extent that they have similar distributions of charge in real space. Thus chemical similarity should be defined and determined using the atoms of QTAIM whose properties are directly determined by their spatial charge distributions [32]. Current measures of molecular similarity are couched in terms of Carbo s molecular quantum similarity measure (MQSM) [33-35], a procedure that requires maximization of the spatial integration of the overlap of the density distributions of two molecules the similarity of which is to be determined, and where the product of the density distributions can be weighted by some operator [36]. The MQSM method has several difficulties associated with its implementation [31] ... 

ZhuGe R, Fogarty KE, Tuft RA, Lifshitz LM, Sayar K, Walsh JV 2000 Dynamics of signaling between Ca2+ sparks and Ca2+-activated K+ channels studied with a novel image-based method for direct intracellular measurement of ryanodine receptor Ca2+ current. J Gen... 

Exposure. Exposure to 1,3-DNB is currently measured indirectly by determining levels of methemoglobin in the blood (Donovan 1990). However, increased methemoglobin formation is not a specific response to 1,3-DNB exposure and may occur after exposure to other nitrobenzene compounds such as the other two isomers of dinitrobenzene. Determination of methemoglobin levels is widely used and is a reliable detection method. Very few methods are available for direct evaluation of 1,3-DNB levels, and they are not extensively used, probably because of the relatively rapid rate of conversion of 1,3-DNB to its degradation products (Cossum and Rickert 1985). Preliminary data suggested that the formation of adducts of 1,3,5-TNB with tissue DNA and/or with blood proteins may be useful as markers for exposure to 1,3,5-TNB (Reddy et al. 1991). Further research with both 1,3-DNB and 1,3,5-TNB in the area of adduct formation could provide valuable additional information. 

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