When a biological membrane mixture is made up of certain components, its will naturally partition itself into “lipid rafts.”  Neither the function of these rafts, nor what exactly leads to their formation is fully understood at this time.  In an effort to gain a better understanding of the latter, the composition dependence of their formation can be studied using a method called equilibrium surface pressure analysis (ESPA).  In order to study a 2-D composition space, the current ESPA apparatus must be automated, allowing an enhanced rate of sample throughput.  Finally, in order to establish that the ESPA apparatus was working properly, the critical micelle concentration (CMC) of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) in both pure water and a 100mM solution of KCl.