2014-15 Product Resource Guide: pH Meters

Top 4 Things You May Not Know About pH Meters

1. In 1906, Max Cremer discovered that an electrical potential develops when two liquids of different pH levels come into contact at opposite sides of a thin glass membrane.

2. Shortly after, in 1909, Fritz Haber and Zygmunt Klemensiewicz used the principle described by Cremer in 1906 to create the first glass electrode that measured hydrogen activity. However, technical difficulties, including the large internal resistance of glass electrodes, prevented the large-scale potentiometric measurements of pH. Because of these difficulties, use of a very sensitive, but expensive, galvanoscope was necessary to obtain reliable results. Today, glass electrodes are the most commonly used measuring electrodes.

3. Then, in 1934, Dr. Arnold Orville Beckman proposed that the current obtained through Haber and Klemensiewicz’s electrode be amplified, allowing it to be measured using a cheap miliamperometer. He devised a simple, high-gain amplifier using two vacuum tubes for this purpose. This advance represents the development of the first pH meter, known at the time as an “acid-o-meter.”

4. Two years later, in 1936, the first commercial pH meters were introduced in the U.S. by Dr. Beckman, the founder of the Beckman Instruments Company (now Beckman Coulter). The Beckman model was known as the Model G acidimeter and later renamed the Model G pH meter. This device was revolutionary because it was the first to combine the whole apparatus (amplifier, electrochemical cell, electrode, calibration dials, batteries and measuring gauge) into one unit. During its first year, Model G sales reached 444 units. The model continued to be sold until the mid-1950s, with an estimated 126,000 sold during its lifetime.

For the Top 6 Questions You Should Ask When Purchasing a pH Meter, click here.

Need more help in finding the right pH meter for you? Check out our pH Meters Product Finder.

Recently Released pH Meters

HI 9829 Multiparameter Meter

• Especially suited to environmental field measurements of streams, rivers, lakes and seas
• Can display 12 parameters simultaneously from up to 14 user selectable parameters
• Available sensors include: pH, ORP, conductivity, turbidity, temperature, ammonium, nitrate, chloride, dissolved oxygen, resistivity, TDS, salinity, atmospheric pressure, and seawater sigma
• A variety of additional features also available

Hanna Instruments
hannainst.com 

YSI TruLab Lab Instruments

• Enable routine and precise measurements of pH, mV, ISE, and temperature
• Provide flexibility, stable measurements, and 15 new sensor options
• The TruLab 1110 is suited for routine pH/mV lab measurements where a robust workhorse meter is required, and the TruLab 1310 and 1310P (with printer) provide precise lab measurements and automatic Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) documentation, plus a USB interface for data transfer and backup

Xylem
www.xylemanalytics.com

Pocket Pro and Pro+ pH Testers

• Engineered to deliver accurate results
• Backed up with built in performance diagnostics, users never have to guess when to clean or calibrate the sensor
• Includes replaceable batteries for convenient field use, and a large, easy-to-read LCD screen
• Easy calibration steps and built-in diagnostics for pH testers take the guesswork out of calibrating the sensor to keep it in optimum condition

Hach
www.hach.com 

SAM-1 Smart Aqua Meter

• Turns your smart phone or tablet into a powerful and convenient pH, ORP or conductivity meter
• Users simply plug the SAM-1™ into the audio jack of their smart phone or tablet then plug in the smart sensor and they are ready to take accurate readings
• Sensor is auto-recognized and calibration data read from the smart sensor

Sensorex
www.sensorex.com 

pH Meter Manufacturers