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
Thioglycolic acid also used in so-called "fallout remover" or "wheel cleaner" to remove iron oxide residue from rims. Ferrous iron combines with thioglycolate to form red-violet ferric thioglycolate. Thioglycolic acid is prepared by reaction of sodium or potassium chloracetate with alkali metal hydrosulfide in aqueous medium. It can be also prepared via the Bunte salt obtained by reaction of sodium thiosulfate with chloroacetic acid: Thioglycolic acid is about 100 times stronger acid than acetic acid with a pKa of 3.83: The second ionization has a pKa of 9.3: Thioglycolic acid is a reducing agent, especially at higher pH. It oxidizes to the