Hanna Instruments

The HI-4101 ammonia ion selective electrode is a complete potentiometric cell that contains both a silver/silver chloride (Ag/AgCl) reference and a pH measurement element. These elements are housed within a plastic body with a chloride ion-containing electrolyte, and are isolated from the sample by a gas permeable membrane made of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE).

Ammonia can exist in two different forms: ammonia as a gas (NH₃) and ammonium as the ionised form (NH⁴+). The concentration of each form in a solution is dependent on the solution’s pH. The pKa is the pH value at which ammonia and ammonium are in equilibrium. The pKa of the ammonia/ammonium relationship is 9.24; thus, at a pH of 9.24 there will be an equal concentration of ammonia and ammonium. As pH decreases, becoming more acidic, the concentration of ammonium increases and ammonia decreases. The opposite occurs as the pH increases. The actual concentration for either species can be determined by knowing the concentration of ammonia and the pH of the sample.

For the HI-4101 to measure ammonia accurately, it is important that the pH of the calibration standards and sample be raised with the ammonia ionic strength adjuster (ISA) solution. The ammonia ISA raises the pH of the solution to pH 11. Any ammonium present in the calibration standards and sample will be converted to ammonia, ensuring an accurate measurement. The HI-4101 ammonia gas sensing ISE can measure from 1µM (0.02 mg/L) to 1M (17,000 mg/L).