The ion meter is a piece of equipment used to detect the concentration or activity of ions in a solution. There are different types of ion meters, some are designed to measure a specific ion.
Ion meters are used for multiple purposes, and in many areas; as it is in mining, livestock, laboratory, agriculture, arts, agri-food industry, drinking and residual water, among many others. There are many other uses for an ion meter, but it should be noted that its most frequent and impressive use is to measure and control the purity of water. Since pure water is required for many laboratory and hospital procedures, in addition to drinking water, it must be as optimal as possible to avoid diseases and health conditions in people.
One of the instruments to measure ions is ion selective electrodes (ISE) which are an analytical tool to quickly determine the activity of solutions. Together with an ion concentration meter, ISEs are a versatile measurement system. The process with which ion selective electrodes work is ion exchange, which measures the potential difference produced by the contact of the electrode with the ion being studied, following the Nernst equation. As the name implies, to carry out the measurement, the electrode must make contact with a certain ion present in the solution. The activity of the specific ion is converted into electrical potential when it comes into contact with the active membrane of the ion selective electrode.
