1  Electrode (assembled)
1  Bottle of electrolyte
1 Replaceable barrel
1 Filling tube
1 Set of Instructions

These Flow-thru Reference microelectrodes can be used with any pH, ion-selective or redox electrode.  The electrode is composed of an internal silver-silver chloride electrode with an internal filling solution of 3 M KCl saturated with AgCl. 

Before the electrode can be placed into operation, the  acrylic reference barrel must be filled with the internal reference solution supplied.

Filling the Reference Barrel

Filling of the reference barrel is accomplished in the following manner:

1.  The acrylic barrel is removed from the electrode cap by grasping the barrel and unscrewing the black knurled nut that holds the cap and barrel together.

2.  The internal reference solution is added to the acrylic barrel using the polyethylene filling fiber attached to the nipple of the bottle.

3.   After filling the acrylic barrel with the reference electrolyte, the silver wire is inserted into the acrylic barrel and the electrode cap is re-assembled.

Cleaning

When using the electrode in solutions containing protein, the electrode sample chamber should be filled with an enzyme cleaning solution such as Terg-a-zyme (Alconox, Inc.)or a chromic/sulfuric acid cleaning solution after each use for 10 -15 seconds to remove  the protein from the reference chamber and the reference junction.  This will prolong the useful life of the electrode.

Storing

Always clean the electrode before storing.

Long-term (over 4 weeks):  Remove the acrylic barrel containing the electrolyte and store the entire acrylic barrel in a stoppered test tube or other suitable container filled with reference electrolyte.  Rinse the silver wire and electrode cap to remove the salt solution and dry using an absorbent towel.  Store the electrode in its original box or any closed container to keep the dust off of the electrode.

Short-term:  Fill the reference sample chamber with reference electrolyte and cap with the proper size tubing.