Voltammetry – FAQs

We advise against mechanical treatment of platinum electrodes, e.g., by polishing with aluminum oxide!

If the gold electrode is used for trace analysis, then we advise against using any type of mechanical treatment, e.g., polishing with aluminum oxide!

Information regarding the preparation of the electrode can be found in the application instructions.

The electrode surface of the Ultra-Trace electrode can be regenerated with the special polishing set, art. no. 6.2802.020.

The electrode surface of glassy carbon electrodes can be regenerated by polishing with aluminum oxide.

As a temporary solution, you can replace the bridge electrolyte with a water-free electrolyte, e.g., c(LiCl) = 2 mol/L in ethanol.

We recommend a completely water-free reference electrode for permanent application. Both the reference system and the electrolyte vessel are filled with a water-free electrolyte. For this purpose, the internal reference system is also available dry with no electrolyte. The order number for this is 6.0728.010. The bridge electrolyte vessel 6.1245.010 is compatible with this.

c(tetrabutylammonium chloride) = 0.1 mol/L in acetonitrile, for example, is a suitable reference electrolyte. The electrolyte used for the application can be used as the bridge electrolyte. You must bear in mind that the electrode has a different reference potential with this reference electrolyte than with c(KCl) = 3 mol/L.

Caution! Reference systems with an LL Ag/AgCl system (6.0728.x30) are not suitable for use with acetonitrile.

Here you will learn what is to be done if the reference electrode ever dries out.

The 6.0728.x40 reference system cannot be regenerated if it dries out. The electrode must be replaced.

Dried-out KCl gel cannot be removed from the electrolyte vessel. The electrolyte vessel must be replaced.

Once the gel filling of the electrode 6.0730.x00 has dried up, the gel reference electrode is irrevocably damaged and must be replaced!

A different reference electrode yields a different reference potential and therefore a different zero-point on the potential axis. Method parameters are always given relative to the reference potential. To be able to measure using the Ag/AgCl reference electrode, you just need to adjust all potentials by the potential difference between the reference electrode described and the Ag/AgCl reference electrode.

The table shows the potentials of some common reference electrodes measured against a standard hydrogen electrode.

The figure shows the signal “shift” resulting from different reference potentials. 

The electrolyte vessel can be filled with any electrolyte that is a good conductor. If potassium interferes with the determination, you can use NaCl, for example, instead of KCl. However, you should not change the electrolyte in the internal reference system. Using a different electrolyte here instead of c(KCl) = 3 mol/L changes the reference potential. This is also the case if you are using a different concentration of KCl.

The electrolyte vessel can be filled with any electrolyte that is a good conductor. If chloride interferes with the determination, you can use KNO3, for example, instead of KCl. However, you should not change the electrolyte in the internal reference system. Using a different electrolyte here instead of c(KCl) = 3 mol/L changes the reference potential. This is also the case if you are using a different concentration of KCl.