Reference electrodes voltammetry

Voltammetry involves the application of a potential that varies with time and the measurement of a current that flows between a working and a reference electrode. Voltammetry can therefore be defined as the exploration of the three-dimensional space that relates to potential, current, and time. However, under suitable circumstances, simplified conditions can lead to a unique relation, not involving time, between current and potential such situation provides the so-called steady-state voltammetry. ... 

Electrochemical Detectors Another common group of HPLC detectors are those based on electrochemical measurements such as amperometry, voltammetry, coulometry, and conductivity. Figure 12.29b, for example, shows an amperometric flow cell. Effluent from the column passes over the working electrode, which is held at a potential favorable for oxidizing or reducing the analytes. The potential is held constant relative to a downstream reference electrode, and the current flowing between the working and auxiliary electrodes is measured. Detection limits for amperometric electrochemical detection are 10 pg-1 ng of injected analyte. 

FIGURE 11. Cyclic voltammetries of 68 at a mercury microelectrode, concentration 2x10 m, electrolyte OMF/Bu NI 0.1m, reference electrode Ag/Agl/I" 0.1m, sweep rate 300mVs ... 

Principles and Characteristics Voltammetric methods are electrochemical methods which comprise several current-measuring techniques involving reduction or oxidation at a metal-solution interface. Voltammetry consists of applying a variable potential difference between a reference electrode (e.g. Ag/AgCl) and a working electrode at which an electrochemical reaction is induced (Ox + ne ----> Red). Actually, the exper-... 

Cyclic voltammetry was performed on precursor polymer thin films cast on platinum electrodes in order to assess the possibility of electrochemical redox elimination and consequently as an alternative means of monitoring the process. All electrochemical experiments were performed in a three-electrode, single-compartment cell using a double junction Ag/Ag+(AgN03) reference electrode in 0.1M... 

Polythiophene films can be electrochemically cycled from the neutral to the conducting state with coulombic efficiencies in excess of 95% [443], with little evidence of decomposition of the material up to + 1.4 V vs. SCE in acetonitrile [37, 54, 56, 396,400] (the 3-methyl derivative being particularly stable [396]), but unlike polypyrrole, polythiophene can be both p- and n-doped, although the n-doped material has a lower maximum conductivity [444], Cyclic voltammetry shows two sets of peaks corresponding to the p- and n-doping reactions, with E° values at approximately + 1.1 V and — 1.4 V respectively (vs. an Ag+/Ag reference electrode)... 

Phase-sensitive detection is not at all specihc for EPR spectroscopy but is used in many different types of experiments. Some readers may be familiar with the electrochemical technique of differential-pulse voltammetry. Here, the potential over the working and reference electrode, E, is varied slowly enough to be considered as essentially static on a short time scale. The disturbance is a pulse of small potential difference, AE, and the in-phase, in-frequency detection of the current affords a very low noise differential of the i-E characteristic of a redox couple. 

The electrochemical detection of pH can be carried out by voltammetry (amper-ometry) or potentiometry. Voltammetry is the measurement of the current potential relationship in an electrochemical cell. In voltammetry, the potential is applied to the electrochemical cell to force electrochemical reactions at the electrode-electrolyte interface. In potentiometry, the potential is measured between a pH electrode and a reference electrode of an electrochemical cell in response to the activity of an electrolyte in a solution under the condition of zero current. Since no current passes through the cell while the potential is measured, potentiometry is an equilibrium method. 

The classic book on the topic remains Reference Electrodes by D. I. G. Janz and G. J. Ives, Academic Press, New York, 1961. This book is still worth consulting despite its age. One of the best articles is Reference electrodes for voltammetry by Adrian W. Bott, Current Separations, 1995, 14(2), 33. The article can be downloaded from http //www.currentseparations.com/issues/14-2/csl4-2d.pdf. Also, Electrochemistry by Carl H. Harnann, Andrew Hamnett and Wolf Vielstich, Wiley-VCH, Weinheim, 1998, has extensive discussions on reference electrodes. 

Most common reference electrodes are silver-silver chloride (SSC), and saturated calomel electrode (SSC, which contains mercury). The reference electrode should be placed near the working electrode so that the W-potential is accurately referred to the reference electrode. These reference electrodes contain concentrated NaCl or KC1 solution as the inner electrolyte to maintain a constant composition. Errors in electrode potentials are due to the loss of electrolytes or the plugging of the porous junction at the tip of the reference electrode. Most problems in practical voltammetry arise from poor reference electrodes. To work with non-aqueous solvents such as acetonitrile, dimethylsulfoxide, propylene carbonate, etc., the half-cell, Ag (s)/AgC104 (0.1M) in solvent//, is used. There are situations where a conventional reference electrode is not usable, then a silver wire can be used as a pseudo-reference electrode. 

As in the case of cyclic voltammetry, the electrolysis cell can be built with a thermostatic jacket to carry out measurements at low temperatures. In this case, the apparatus is of an isothermic type (i.e. the compartment containing the reference electrode is also cooled). In this case the most suitable reference electrode is the silver/silver chloride electrode filled by the same solution that will be used to dissolve the electroactive substance. One cannot use the saturated calomel electrode or the aqueous Ag/AgCl electrode because the KC1 (or NaCl) solution would freeze. 

Cyclic voltammetry was conducted using a Powerlab ADI Potentiostat interfaced to a computer. A typical three electrode system was used for the analysis Ag/AgCl electrode (2.0 mm) as reference electrode Pt disc (2.0 mm) as working electrode and Pt rod (2.0 mm) as auxiliary electrode. The supporting electrolyte used was a TBAHP/acetonitrile electrolyte-solvent system. The instrument was preset using a Metrohm 693 VA Processor. Potential sweep rate was 200 mV/s using a scan range of-1,800 to 1,800 mV. 

Cyclic voltammetry experiments were controlled using a Powerlab 4/20 interface and PAR model 362 scanning potentiostat with EChem software (v 1.5.2, ADlnstruments) and were carried out using a 1 mm diameter vitreous carbon working electrode, platinum counter electrode, and 2 mm silver wire reference electrode. The potential of the reference electrode was determined using the ferrocenium/ ferrocene (Fc+/Fc) couple, and all potentials are quoted relative to the SCE reference electrode. Against this reference, the Fc /Fc couple occrus at 0.38 V in acetonitrile and 0.53 V in THF [30, 31]. 

CycUc voltammetry was carried out on the Sycopel Work Station AEW 2, a three electrode assembly glassy carbon electrode as working, graphite rod as counter and anHg-pool as reference electrode were used. The stability and drift of Hg-pool was checked from time to time and found satisfactory. The scan rate was either 50 or 100 mV/s. 

Occasionally, when the voltammetry solution is non-aqueous, it is difficult to find a reference electrode of known potential. If this is the case, it is useful to add a tiny amount of ferrocene, Fe(cp)2, to the voltammetry solution. The FefcplJ, Fe(cp)2 couple is wholly reversible in almost every solvent system except water, so the CV will contain all of the peaks of the analyte of interest, plus a small pair of peaks due to the ferrocene couple. The potentials of the peaks of interest can then be cited with respect to the for the ferrocene couple in the solvent system in question (cf. adding tetramethylsilane (TMS) to an NMR sample). 

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