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Studies on the Suspension Effect With a Sodium Electrode
Author(s) -
Bower C. A.
Publication year - 1961
Publication title -
soil science society of america journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1435-0661
pISSN - 0361-5995
DOI - 10.2136/sssaj1961.03615995002500010013x
Subject(s) - suspension (topology) , saturated calomel electrode , electrolyte , chemistry , electrode , sodium , salt (chemistry) , analytical chemistry (journal) , chromatography , reference electrode , mathematics , homotopy , pure mathematics , organic chemistry
Soil and clay suspensions containing Na + exhibited the suspension effect when emf readings were made with a calomel electrode and a glass electrode which is selective for Na + . The suspension effect was identified with the KCl salt bridge of the calomel electrode. Overbeek has proposed an approximate equation for calculating the magnitude of the suspension effect when a saturated KCl salt bridge is employed. The equation is based on the relative contributions of the electric double layer at the surface of the particles and the bulk of the liquid to the total electrical conductance of the suspension. Values for the suspension effect calculated by Overbeek's equation from electrical conductivity measurements agreed closely with those obtained potentiometrically. As predicted by Overbeek's equation, the magnitude of the suspension effect was found to vary in an orderly manner with the electrolyte concentration and the exchangeable‐sodium‐percentage of the suspension. The magnitude of the suspension effect was also found to be a function of the KCl concentration of the salt bridge. An explanation for this finding based on an extension of Overbeek's theory is proposed.