Ever wonder how we catch invisible CO2?

Ever wonder how we catch invisible CO2? It's like playing molecular detective, and UIC's coulometer is our high-tech magnifying glass!

Imagine a factory's emissions being scrubbed clean by special chemical sponges called amines.

But how do we know these molecular sponges are working?

That's where our clever chemistry comes in. Just like a digital scale can tell you exactly how much your morning coffee weighs, our coulometer tells us precisely how much CO2 these amine solutions have captured.

The process is fascinating: we take a tiny drop of the amine solution (smaller than a raindrop!) and introduce it to an acidic environment. This causes the CO2 to bubble out, like opening a carbonated drink.

But instead of letting it escape, we catch it in a special solution that changes color as it absorbs the CO2. By measuring how much electricity it takes to restore the original color, we can calculate exactly how much CO2 was captured - down to the microscopic level!

The best part?

This isn't just cool science - it's helping industries reduce their carbon footprint. Every measurement helps optimize carbon capture systems, making them more efficient at cleaning our air. It's like having a fitness tracker for industrial emissions, ensuring every carbon capture system is performing at its peak.

The precision is remarkable - imagine being able to detect a single grain of sugar in an Olympic-sized swimming pool.

That's the kind of sensitivity we're talking about when measuring carbon capture efficiency!