Mercury electrode formed by sequence of mercury drops falling from a small aperture.
Notes: - The DME was introduced by Jaroslav Heyrovský (1890–1967). A drop is renewed every few seconds. Many metals amalgamate with mercury so that in the analysis of metal ions in aqueous solution the DME maintains a fresh surface throughout.
- Other kinds of mercury drop electrodes are the static mercury drop electrode (SMDE), in which a drop is held at constant radius before being mechanically knocked off, and the hanging mercury drop electrode (HMDE), in which the whole experiment is performed on a single drop of mercury.
Source:
PAC, 2020, 92, 641. 'Terminology of Electrochemical Methods of Analysis (IUPAC Recommendations 2019)' on page 660 (https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2018-0109)