Take the Tech Challenge

December 1, 2011

Test your knowledge and see if you’re right: 

Measuring the pH of a soil sample

Whether for commerce or recreation, gardeners are expressing a growing interest in taking accurate pH measurements of soil samples. The pH of soil indicates more than its alkalinity or acidity strength, it affects the relative availability of nutrients, the soil life, and the type of plants that will thrive. What is the best method to measure the pH of a soil sample? Most pH electrodes are designed to measure a liquid sample which presents a challenge.

A:  You can use almost any pH electrode to measure soil. Just insert the probe into moist soil and wait a few minutes for a measurement. It just takes longer for the readings to stabilize.

B:  Only conductivity measurements should be used in soil testing.

C:   You can use almost any pH electrode to measure soil. You will need to mix the soil with deionized (DI) water before measuring.

D:   Only pH paper (litmus paper) can be used for measuring the pH of soil.

 View the answers

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Posted by bdumey

Tech Challenge: Take the Challenge, See if You’re Right

July 28, 2011

Determining Flow Rate at Various Points on a Golf Course

A groundskeeper at a large golf course needs to measure the flow rate in the watering system at more than 30 different points throughout the course. With several miles of pipe, the diameters vary from 2 to 4 inches. The groundskeeper also indicated they want to monitor the flow continuously for 10 minutes at each point of measurement. They have a budget of less than $10,000. Which flowmeter and process would be ideal for this application?

A: Install spring-loaded flowmeters at each point around the course. Take readings every 15 seconds and record them in a notebook.

B:  Install tee-fittings with paddle wheel sensors at each monitor point, and carry a battery powered meter around the course. Take readings every 15 seconds and record in a notebook. 

C:  Use a Handheld Doppler Flowmeter and take readings every 15 seconds and record them in a notebook.

D:  Use a Portable Transit-Time Flowmeter and program the datalogger’s sample rate for one reading per second.

Check to see if you are right.

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Posted by bdumey

Challenge: What’s the Best Instrument to Test the Concentration of Sulfuric Acid Under these Conditions?

April 21, 2011

Testing Sulfuric Acid Concentration

Battery Recycling has contacted you for a way to measure the concentration of their battery acid. The samples are generally warm after use, up to 35°C, and concentrations can be as high as 50%.

What is the best instrument to test the concentration of sulfuric acid under these conditions?

A. Use waterproof non-glass ISFET pH testers and suggest that the customer convert pH to hydrogen ion concentration, and then calculate the molar concentration of the acid.

B. Use a Reichert coolant/battery acid refractometer with automatic temperature compensation, then a chart to see the correlation between the RI value displayed and the acid concentration.

C. Use an Atago coolant/battery acid refractometer, then a chart to see the correlation between the RI value and acid concentration

D. Use an Oakton® Waterproof pHTestr® 10 and suggest that the customer convert pH into hydrogen ion concentration, and then molar concentration of the acid.

See answer.

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Posted by bdumey

Take the Challenge: Researching the Effects of a New Drug

February 3, 2011

Here’s our latest Tech Challenge question. See if you can select the correct answer.

Challenge: Research Labs has a mixed culture of streptococcus, staphylococcus, and enterococcus bacteria. For their current project, they would like to research the effects of their new drug on staphylococcus only.

Which media should they use so they can selectively look at the staphylococci alone?

A. Blood agar 5%

B. Lauryl tryptose broth

C. Mannitol salt agar

D. Baird Parker agar

E. XLD agar

See the answer

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Posted by bdumey

Ready for a Challenge? Test Your Knowledge of Hydrofluoric Acid in Etching

December 9, 2010

Read the scenario below, determine your answer, then click on the link to see if you are right!

Luigi, a process engineer, currently uses a 20% hydrofluoric acid in his etching process. He is considering using a higher concentration of this acid in order to speed up his operation. Currently, he stores the acid in a 40-gallon double-wall tank made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE). He pumps the acid out of this tank using an air-operated pump with wetted materials of Kynar® PVDF and PTFE.

What concentration of hydrofluoric acid can Luigi safely use given his current equipment?

A. He needs to stay with his current 20% concentration there is no way to speed up the operation.

B. He can increase to a 50% hydrofluoric acid to improve his process.

C. He can increase to a 75% hydrofluoric acid to improve his process.

D. He can increase to a 100% hydrofluoric acid for maximum speed.

See the answer.

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Posted by bdumey

Hey Winemakers: Take our tech challenge on Choosing a Refractometer

March 15, 2010

Challenge: Amil is starting up his own company, Amil’s Amazing Winery. He needs a refractometer to measure the wine from 0 to 30% Brix. The refractometer will need to be used at various stages of his wine-making process, including when the grapes are heated to release the most flavor. Amil’s eyesight and patience are not what they used to be, so he needs a meter that is easy to read and simple to use.

What would be the best refractometer for Amil?

  1. Brix refractometer with automatic temperature compensation, such as model 81150-06.
  2. Palette-style Brix refractometer with digital display and automatic temperature compensation, such as model 02940-62.
  3. Salt refractometer such as model 02940-43.
  4. Wine refractometer with automatic temperature compensation and a 0 to 25% T.A. range, such as model 02940-68.

See the answer.

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Posted by Cole-Parmer

Hey Mr. Know-it-all, Take our Tech Challenge on Measuring Oxygen Content

March 5, 2010

Challenge: Fred is looking for an instrument to measure the oxygen content of some vials. The amount of headspace in the vial is very crucial for his testing procedure. He needs an accurate meter that can read very low values and is easy to use. He doesn’t need any fancy, expensive functionality—he just needs to measure and store a few data points. Fred said, “The simpler the better!”

What would be the best meter for his application?

  1. CheckMate II O2 benchtop analyzer (model 86490-20) measures from 10 ppm to 100% with an accuracy of 1% of reading, and it can log more than 10,000 test results.
  2. Handheld O2 analyzer (model 10360-20) measures from 0.1 to 100% with 1% accuracy, and has no datalogging capability.
  3. CheckPoint O2 analyzer (model 86490-00) measures from 0 to 100% with 0.1% from 0 to 5% and 2% from 5 to 100%. It also stores up to 10 readings to be recorder later.
  4. Benchtop O2 analyzer (model 10360-60) measures from 0.1 to 100% with 0.1% accuracy; has no datalogging capability.

See the answer.

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Posted by Cole-Parmer

Hey Smarty Pants, Take our Tech Challenge on Circuit Board Failures.

February 22, 2010

Tech Challenge 

 

 

Challenge: A manufacturer of electrical test equipment noticed that circuit board failures increased during the fall and winter, and decreased during the spring and summer months. After a thorough investigation of the failures, it was determined that certain individual components on the circuit boards were damaged internally.

Which of the following actions should be taken:

  1. Install a cleanroom and implement cleanroom procedures
  2. Increase the number of inspections of individual components before installing them on the circuit boards.
  3. Rotate component stock to see if older stock is the source of the failures.
  4. Add a surge protector, as quite often a power surge will damage the circuit board.
  5. Implement a static control program.

See the answer.

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Posted by Cole-Parmer

Hey Genius, Take our Tech Challenge on Chemical Testing

February 5, 2010

Challenge: The U.S. EPA was testing rivers and lakes for chemical levels. The technician detected above-regulation levels in Lake Somhe, including phenol, toluene, mercury, oils, and more. There are a dozen different factories and pipelines which empty into Lake Somhe, and the EPA needs to determine which of these sources is contributing to the unacceptable chemical levels before doing a more in-depth analysis at the individual site.

The EPA contacted Cole-Parmer to find instruments or tests that can help them quickly and easily determine which sites are causing the problem.

Which test would be most effective for their purpose?

  1. Recommend a chemical classifier which work similar to a pH paper strip.
  2. Suggest the technician start with a colorimeter to determine phenol and toluene levels.
  3. Suggest a gas chromatograph and mass spectrophotometer to determine phenol and toluene levels.
  4. Have the EPA collect samples from each site and send to an independent testing laboratory.

See the answer.

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Posted by Cole-Parmer

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