Modifications to the
Briggs Micro-Electrophoretic Cell and
Comparisons with the Zeta-Meter Cell
R. M. ROCK, Research Associate
Department of Environmental and Sanitary Engineering
Washington University
St. Louis, Missouri
N. C. BURBANK, Professor of Environmental Health and Sanitary Engineering
University of Hawaii
Honolulu, Hawaii
INTRODUCTION
A growing interest in applications of micro-electrophoresis (hereafter referred to as "MEP") to the treatment of industrial waters and wastes has led an increasing number of research and operations personnel to investigate the possibility
of installing apparatus for these determinations in their laboratories. Many have
soon discovered a frustrating lack of complete, detailed information available on
descriptions of the design, fabrication, and operation of such equipment.
Four basic configurations are presently in use today: the Mattson circular cell
(1), currently employed in studies by Packham (2); the Northrup-Kunitz flat cell,
supplied by A. H. Thomas Co. (3), and recently employed by Bull (4); the Briggs
flat cell (5), made popular in extensive coagulation studies by Pilipovich (6) and
Black (7, 8), and the Zeta-Meter circular cell reported by Riddick (9, 10).
Publications by Black and Riddick have been extremely helpful in providing
descriptions of the Briggs and Zeta-Meter cells and have as a result of their studies
rendered these configurations two of the most popular and widely discussed units in
the U.S. today. Even so, a great deal of additional information has yet to be
published on certain details and particularly comparisons of these units, for those
who approach the task of making a selection between them with only sparse
knowledge beforehand.
It was the purpose of this study to take the original design of Briggs, to improve upon it in any way that aided the speed of determinations and the versatility
of applications, and to compare the resulting configuration to the patented, manufactured cell known as the Zeta-Meter.
MODIFIED BRIGGS CELL
The original design of Briggs is represented in Figure 1. It is characterized
by an all-glass design, good for aqueous as well as organic media, and by the
capability of being fabricated from relatively inexpensive standard laboratory
stock items. Many details of the cell have been described by Briggs and Black
and do not bear repetition here. However, a few features are worthy of note insofar as they were considered by the authors as deserving of improvement or modification.
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