| 摘要 |
Provided is a method and apparatus for detecting electroinactive ions, and electroinactive ions solvated by small molecules including water. The method and apparatus utilizes a microporous ion exchange material such as a zeolite containing initially an electroactive species contained within the pores. The method operates on the principle that when charged species present in solution can access the pores of the microporous material, an ion-exchange reaction will occur whereupon the electroactive species will exit the microporous material, being replaced by the charged species. The electroactive species, upon exiting the microporous material, undergoes electrochemical reduction or oxidation at an electrode having a sufficiently high potential applied thereto. The method and detector disclosed herein is size selective since for example zeolites with a pore size comparable to that of the solvated ion to be detected but smaller than other electrolyte components can be utilized. In addition to being used as an ion detector per se, the detector may be used for detecting trace amounts (sub parts per million) of water in non-aqueous media by using the fact that hydrated cation species can readily access the zeolite interior via the pore network thus expelling an electroactive ion into solution. In contrast, the same cation when solvated by organic molecules will be size excluded from the zeolite. The detector can be utilized for the detection of other small molecules using the same principle provided that they form a solvated complexes with electrolyte cations which are not size excluded from the zeolite.
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