Functional Groups in Organic Polarographic Analysis

Polarographic determination, by itself, is generally not specific for a particular organic compound. Usually the determination is, in practice, of a particular electroactive group and hence of a class of compounds. 

For example, the half wave potentials of most benzene diazonium salts lie within about 100 mV of each other. Since at least 200 mV must separate waves before they can be sufficiently resolved, the different substituted benzene diazonium salts cannot be differentiated from one another by polarography alone. The other substituents on the benzene ring, such as methyl, hydroxyl, methoxyl, produce only relatively small shifts in half wave potential, through their electron donating or withdrawing properties. This is referred to as a substituent effect. 

If the introdtietion of a hydroxy substituent causes only a very small shift of the half wave potential of a particular compound, does this mean that a method, using polaro phy, cannot be developed to selectively determine both the parent compound and its hydroxy derivative  

To list all of the electroactive functional groups and classes of compound would be impossible, however the following list can act as an introductory guide. 

Generally Electroactive Groups or Bonds Susceptible to Reduction at the DME 

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