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Analytical Electrochemistry: The Basic Concepts C. Working Electrodes 1. Electrode types. The working electrode (WE) represents the most important component of an electrochemical cell. It is at the interface between the WE and the solution that electron transfers of greatest interest occur. The selection of a working electrode material is critical to experimental success. Several important factors should be considered. Firstly, the material should exhibit favorable redox behavior with the analyte, ideally fast, reproducible electron transfer without electrode fouling. Secondly, the potential window over which the electrode performs in a given electrolyte solution should be as wide as possible to allow for the greatest degree of analyte characterization. Additional considerations include the cost of the material, its ability to be machined or formed into useful geometries, the ease of surface renewal following a measurement, and toxicity. The most commonly used working electrode materials are platinum, gold, carbon, and mercury. Among these, platinum is likely the favorite, demonstrating good electrochemical inertness and ease of fabrication into many forms. The biggest disadvantage to the use of platinum, other than its high cost, is that the presence of even small amounts of water or acid in the electrolyte leads to the reduction of hydrogen ion to form hydrogen gas (hydrogen evolution) at fairly modest negative potentials (E = -0.059 x pH). This reduction obscures any useful analytical signal. Gold electrodes behave similarly to platinum, but have limited usefulness in the positive potential range due to the oxidation of its surface. It has been very useful, however, for the preparation of modified electrodes containing surface structures known as self-assembled monolayers (SAMs). Carbon electrodes allow scans to more negative potentials than platinum or gold, as well as good anodic potential windows. The most common form of carbon electrode is glassy carbon, which is relatively expensive and difficult to machine. Carbon paste electrodes are also useful in many applications. These electrodes are made from a paste of finely granulated carbon mixed with an oil substrate like Nujol. The paste is then packed into a cavity in an inert electrode body. Carbon paste electrodes have the disadvantage of being prone to mechanical damage during use. Mercury has historically been a widely used electrode material, primarily as a spherical drop formed at the end of a glass capillary through which the liquid metal is allowed to flow. It displays an excellent potential window in the cathodic direction, but is severely limited in the anodic direction by its ease of oxidation. A dropping mercury electrode (DME), in which drops are formed and fall off repeatedly during a potential scan, being replaced by a “fresh” electrode every second or so, was commonly in past years the first electrode many students encountered in their studies. The toxicity of mercury has lead to a limited use these days, though it still is a very useful surface in methods that involve the preconcentration of a metallic analyte prior to potential scan, such as is done in anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV). Many practitioners now make use of mercury films formed on the surface of solid electrodes rather than the pure metal.PDF Image | Analytical Electrochemistry The Basic Concepts
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