Sartorius DocuClip and Docu-pHMeter promise reliable measurement and traceable documentation of pH values; using pH meters shows how large the gap can be between theory and practice.
Although GLP- or ISO-compliant documentation of measured data is the standard today in most laboratories and is automatically supported by many lab instruments as an expected feature, a closer look at their data logs reveals missing data, which compromises the complete traceability of the results.
The reason is that the pH meter and sensor, or electrode, are two components of one system, which deliver the result of a measurement, the pH, only when operated in conjunction.
With the new DocuClip and Docu-pHMeter, the laboratory equipment provider Sartorius says it has solved this problem in a convincingly simple way.
Inseparably attached to the pH electrode, the Sartorius DocuClip saves and identifies the type designation and serial number of its 'own' electrode.
Moreover, DocuClip securely stores the data of up to five complete calibration datasets in its rolling memory, which means it deletes older data to make room for the latest calibration report.
As soon as DocuClip is connected to the Docu-pHMeter, the electrode data available in the DocuClip are transmitted to the Docu-pHMeter, which uses these data for measurement evaluation and meticulous data recording.
Updated calibration data are written to DocuClip's memory where they are irreversibly linked to the matching electrode.
In addition to the type designation and the individual serial number, the complete data of the initial calibration process are saved.
These include the pH, mV value, temperature, slope and zero point of the electrode as well as the date and time stamp generated when calibration ends.
This pragmatic solution to the problem automatically allows 100% traceability of pH measurements to the meters and sensors used.
Sartorius supplies the DocuClip permanently connected to a pH electrode - already initialised and factory-calibrated.
However, the DocuClip memory chip can also be purchased unformatted, allowing the user to initialise and irreversibly attach it to just about any electrode.
Even without DocuClip, the newly developed pH meters offer everything that can be expected of lab pH meters incorporating cutting-edge technology.
Among these features are new standards in pH measurement and data management and easy-to-use soft keys to simplify daily lab work.
