It is essential that corrosion monitoring of indoor atmospheres be highly sensitive, especially when corrosion rates corresponding to the lowest standard corrosivity categories are supposed to be identified within one or a few days. The electrical resistance (ER) technique in combination with high sensitivity ER sensors enabled detection of corrosion loss on an atomic scale. The magnetron sputtering method was used to produce sensors equipped with 50 to 800 nm metallic track. The set of developed sensors represent a wide range of materials, e.g. copper, silver, iron, lead and bronze. Laboratory experiments have proven that copper and silver sensors respond to changes in relative humidity and temperature within minutes. Bronze and copper sensors are able to detect changes in concentrations of volatile organic acids, which are common pollutants of indoor atmospheres in museums.
A method for identifying and obtaining instability constants of copper citrate coordination compounds in acid solution is described. The nature of the compound formed is determined primarily by the citrate-copper ratio and in a secondary manner by the age of the solution. The initial compound formed is [Cu(HCit)(H2Cit)~]. If the citrate concentration is at least 30 times the copper! ) concentration, this compound is stable, but if the citrate-copper ratio is less than 30 the above com-
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