Voltammetry

Voltammetry is an electroanalytical technique that measures current while an electrode potential is varied. The resulting current–potential relationship reveals the identity or concentration of electroactive chemical species.

Working electrode: The electrode at which the analyte undergoes oxidation or reduction during an electrochemical measurement. Its surface hosts the reactions that generate the measured voltammetric current.
Differential pulse voltammetry: A pulse voltammetric method that measures current differences around regularly spaced potential pulses. It suppresses background charging current to improve detection of small analyte concentrations.
Electrochemistry: The study of chemical processes involving electron transfer and the relationship between chemical change and electrical energy. Voltammetry applies electrochemical principles to analytical measurement.
Amperometry: An electroanalytical method that measures current at a fixed or controlled electrode potential. It tracks current without the systematic potential scan central to voltammetry.
Reference electrode: An electrode with a stable, known potential used to define the potential of another electrode. It anchors the applied potential so voltammetric measurements are comparable.
Square-wave voltammetry: A pulse technique that samples current on forward and reverse square-wave potential steps. Its fast, background-rejecting measurements suit sensitive analytical assays.
Oxidation–reduction reaction: A chemical reaction in which electrons transfer between species, changing their oxidation states. Electrode-driven redox reactions produce the currents recorded in voltammetry.
Potentiometry: An electroanalytical method that measures electrode potential under conditions of negligible current. It infers chemical activity from voltage rather than current–potential behavior.
Counter electrode: An electrode that completes the circuit by carrying current opposite to the working electrode. It balances charge flow while the working electrode probes the analyte.
Anodic stripping voltammetry: A trace-metal method that deposits metal ions onto an electrode, then oxidizes them during a potential scan. Preconcentration at the electrode enables detection of very low metal concentrations.

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