Electroanalytical methods

Electroanalytical techniques offer a unique access to information on chemical, biochemical and physical systems. Both the instrumental basis and the theoretical fundamentaIs have been developed such that non-specialists can easily apply them. However, there is still a considerable lack in acceptance of these techniques by others except those who have experience and training in electrochemistry. The authors of this volume felt that it was time to write a volume that concentrates on the really important techniques together with the most essential information to make them applicable for potential users who do not possess specialist knowledge of electrochemistry. AlI the authors have a long experience in teaching and know the most frequent experimental pitfalls as well as theoret- ical misunderstandings and misinterpretations. This book has been written to become a bench book used in the laboratory. The "Electroanalytical Methods" addresses chemists and biochemists that are interested in using electroanalytical techniques to supplement spectroscopic and perhaps theoretical calculations. It also addresses biologists, environmental and material scientists, physicists, medical scientists, and, most importantly, students in alI branches of science, who are confronted with the need to apply electroanalytical techniques. In the short first part of the book, entitled "Basic Electrochemistry", the essen- tials of electrochemical thermodynamics and kinetics are given. The second part, entitled "Electroanalytical Techniques", contains the most frequently utilized techniques, i.e., cyclic voltammetry, pulse and square-wave voltammetry, chronocoulometry, etc. The third part is devoted to electrodes and electrolytes, which are the major constituents of an electrochemical cell. Throughout the book, special attention is given to guide the user to successfullaboratory experi- ments and a sound data evaluation. This book focuses only on modero and widespread techniques. To give the interested reader a key to the historic background, a short list of seminal publications in electrochemistry and electroanalysis is provided in Chap. IV.I.