RISATEC MT200 MICROTITRATOR

LAST UPDATED 27 MAY 2005, AUTHOR Professor David McConchie

General Description

The MT200 microtitrator is a piece of equipment that enables a wide range of laboratory based titrimetric analyses to be carried out in the field with a precision better than that obtainable with a standard laboratory burette. The instrument is light, inexpensive, and robust. Measuring less than 20cm (8”) long (unextended), several instruments can be conveniently carried in your pocket. The microtitrator has been designed so that component parts are virtually unbreakable during normal field use. The reaction vessel and all solutions are completely sealed against dust and water such that it is even possible to carry out a titration underwater; this design feature is necessary to guard against possible contamination of the solutions when used under adverse conditions. Because critical metal components in the MT200 are 316 stainless steel, corrosion is unlikely to become a problem. Laboratory tests on the microtitrator show that:

• Solution leakage does not occur unless pressures above 3 atmospheres are applied to parts of the unit.
• Diffusion of reagents through the dispenser needle is equivalent to less than 1 µL in 24 hrs when the reaction vessel is full of deionised water, the syringe contains a 1,000 mg/L test solution of Zn, and the needle point is immersed in the water.
• Each full turn of the knob dispenses an average of 10 ± 0.05 µL of titrant solution, such a small amount providing extremely precise determination of the equivalence point.