Jim (Corbitt?) wrote: > The TDS is "Total Dissolved Solids" meter. A TDS meter is not an > accurate way to measure colloidal silver, as a colloidal particle is > larger than a dissolved particle, and the conductivity is different.
You are correct, Jim, but you're overlooking the usefulness of the TDS-1 and similar units. Your criticism might make the many folks who've bought them feel like they've made a mistake when they haven't. You will *NOT* get an accurate reading of anything from a TDS-1 or similar meter, except for a number related to the conductivity of the sample. Only ionic or charge bearing species are measured. Individual silver atoms with positive charges will add to the conductivity directly in proportion to their number. This portion will be accurately represented in the final measurment. Clumps of atoms (particles) with a net charge will *ALSO* add somthing to the conductivity, but the relationship might be pretty complicated, being affected by the particle size (mass) and mobility and the size of the charge on each particle (and who knows what other factors). This component of the measurement is not predictable given what we know so far. So there can be no claim of *ACCURACY* from a TDS reading. So what *are* they good for? If you cross-check your TDS reading with some *other* measurement of ppm, it can be a useful *reference* for getting repeatable CS from one batch to the next. Even if you don't know what ppm you have, the TDS-1 will still let you develop treatment strategies on the basis of a constant potency and the response of your symptoms. So the TDS-1 and it's ilk have a place in our work, but do not tell you *directly* what ppm you have. It's easy for folks to read too much into the TDS-1's measurements. It's a mistake to think you really know what you have on that basis alone. But you *can* know that you have the same product as last time, and that's worth a lot. Will we someday retire the TDS entirely in favor of another technique? Perhaps. But then it's not a very expensive instrument, is it? Be well, Mike D. [Mike Devour, Citizen, Patriot, Libertarian] [[email protected] ] [Speaking only for myself... ] -- The silver-list is a moderated forum for discussion of colloidal silver. To join or quit silver-list or silver-digest send an e-mail message to: [email protected] -or- [email protected] with the word subscribe or unsubscribe in the subject: line. To post, address your message to: [email protected] List maintainer: Mike Devour <[email protected]>
