A Method for Determining Small Quantities of Oxygen

Abstract

A method is described which permits one to follow the production rate of minute quantities of oxygen. The method is based on the quenching of the phosphorescence of a dye adsorbed on silica gel. Examples of the application of the method are discussed.

Optical methods for sensing and imaging oxygen: materials, spectroscopies and applications

“…Rhodamines B and 6G, uranine, phosphine, benzoflavine, 1-hydroxypyrene-3,6,8trisulfonate (HPTS) and 7-hydroxycoumarins also showed this effect at À180 1C. Pollack et al 33 have modified the Kautsky method and were able to detect the production of 4 Â 10 12 oxygen molecules when a green leaf was exposed to a flash of light. Another field of application was found in the detection of the onset of oxygen production in water electrolysis when the voltage is raised from 0 to 2.6 volts.…”

“…This is a good example on how chemical sensor technology can impact other kinds of science. This RTP method was later applied by others 33,34 to monitor oxygen in seawater. The first fluorescent sensor system was described by Bergman 35 in 1968 and comprised a UV light source, an oxygen-sensitive fluorescent layer composed of porous glass (or a thin film of polyethylene) soaked with the oxygen-sensitive probe fluoranthene, and a photodetector.…”

Indicators for optical oxygen sensors

“…In 1944, Pollack et al [185] described a method to measure oxygen production by exploiting the quenching of phosphorescence of an unspecified dye adsorbed in silica gel. Shaw [204] applied the ability of O 2 to quench the phosphorescence emission of phenanthrene and triphenylene immobilized in acrylic media as a method to measure the diffusion coefficients of oxygen through the polymeric media.…”

The Development of Chlorophyll and Oxygen-evolving Power in Etiolated Barley Leaves When Illuminated.

“…METHOD FOR MEASURING OXYGEN: The phosphorescence-quenching method for measuring oxygen evolution (14) was adapted to the purpose of this investigation. Preliminary reports on the modified method have already been given (17)(18)(19)(20) and a detailed description is in preparation (21).…”

“…Davis (3) With the sensitive analytical methods now available for the estimation of oxygen (14) and of individual pigments (9,10) and with the sharpening of the concepts concerning pigment formation and pigment interrelationships (11,16,22), it seemed possible that at least a partial clarification of the involvement of chlorophyll in photosynthesis could be gotten by a quantitative re-examination of the development of pigments and of photosynthetic capacity in etiolated leaves.…”