Esophageal pH monitoring developed a dependable external reference electrode. Using this technique to monitor esophageal acid exposure patients for periods up to 24 hours, DeMeester and Johnson were able to identify the most important parameters of esophageal acid exposure, and they developed a composite pH score to quantify gastroesophageal reflux. The initial 24-hour pH studies required hospitalization until the introduction of microcircuits in the 1980s that allowed portable esophageal pH monitoring in an outpatient setting. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a common disease in western countries. In the United States, 7% of the population experiences heartburn daily and 44% at least once a
Hexafluorosilicic acid 99% hydrolysis occurs and the pH drops. The rate of hydrolysis increases with pH. At the pH of drinking water, the degree of hydrolysis is essentially 100%. Neutralization of solutions of hexafluorosilicic acid with alkali metal bases produces the corresponding alkali metal fluorosilicate salts: The resulting salt NaSiF is mainly used in water fluoridation. Related ammonium and barium salts are produced similarly for other applications. Near neutral pH, hexafluorosilicate salts hydrolyze rapidly according to this equation: The majority of the hexafluorosilicic acid is converted to aluminium fluoride and cryolite. These materials are central to the conversion of aluminium ore into