Technical Bulletin No. 0170: An Evaluation of the Winkler Iodometric Procedures and Some Electrode Systems for Dissolved-Oxygen Measurement

Electrode systems are rapidly supplanting the Winkler method for the determination of dissolved oxygen in water, since they are not subject to the errors of the chemical test. In some cases, these errors are substantial when water contains pulp and paper mill effluents.  In the paper, comparisons of the electrode and Winkler methods are made, and the galvanic cell electrode compared with the polarographjc electrode. Dr. Amberg concluded that both types of electrode can be used reliably for determining dissolved oxygen in water containing pulp and paper-mill effluents, since they overcome the shortcomings of the Winkler test. Advantages and disadvantages of the two electrodes are discussed in detail.