Voltammetry quasi-reversible maximum

Mechanistic studies can employ CPE if the coupled chemical reactions are slow. Conventional bulk electrolyses require typically 10-30 min for completion, longer than the typical longest time for voltammetric techniques (ca. 20 s maximum for cyclic voltammetry, CV, ca. 8 s for polarography, etc.). This is important to recall when comparing CPE with voltammetry data. An electrode reaction that is chemically reversible in a slow CV experiment may be irreversible in bulk electrolysis if the electrode product has a half-life of, e.g., a minute or two. Conversely, an electron transfer that is quasi- or irreversible in a relatively fast voltammetric experiment may be electrochemically reversible in the long timescale of bulk electrolysis. 

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