Mercury drop working electrodes are invaluable for certain applications due to their high overpotential for hydrogen ion reduction and the high reproducibility of the electrode surface.

Mercury drop electrodes are generated by the BASi® Controlled Growth Mercury Electrode (CGME) in three modes:

DME (Dropping Mercury Electrode) - mercury is allowed to flow freely from the reservoir down the capillary and so the growth of the mercury drop and its lifetime is controlled by gravity. (The optional 100 µm capillary is recommended for this mode.)

SMDE (Static Mercury Drop Electrode) - the drop size is determined by the length of time for which the fast-response capillary valve is opened, and the drop is dislodged by a drop knocker. The dispense/knock timing is microprocessor-controlled and is typically coordinated with the potential pulse or square-wave waveform. This mode can also used to generate the Hanging Mercury Drop Electrode required for stripping experiments.
The CGME mode is available only on the BASi 100B/W and the CV-50W, whereas the SMDE mode is available with any PC- or microprocessor-controlled potentiostat (including the EC epsilon EClipse). The dispense and knock functions can also be manually controlled, so a Hanging Mercury Drop Electrode can be generated manually (e.g., for stripping experiments using the CV-27).

A built-in gas control allows purging or blanketing of the sample prior to or during analysis, and there is a magnetic stirrer for experiments requiring convection, such as stripping voltammetry. The cell arm with detachable cell top allows easy access to the electrodes for rinsing and cleaning, and the cell top is also compatible with BASi® voltammetry working electrodes. The stir motor/cell vial base pivots for easy removal and replacement of the cell vial.

Please note that mercury is not included with the CGME due to shipping regulations. Please purchase triply- or quadruply-distilled mercury from a company that is licensed to ship mercury.