Chapter 22

An Introduction to Electroanalytical Chemistry

• Electroanalytical chemistry encompasses a group of quantitative
analytical methods that are based upon the electrical properties of a
solution of the analyte when it is made part of an electrochemical cell.

• Electroanalytical methods have certain general advantages over other

types of procedures

– often specific for a particular oxidation state of an element.

– Instrumentation is relatively inexpensive.

– Provide information about activities rather than concentrations of

chemical species.
B.) Types of Electroanalytical Methods

 
B.) Types of Electroanalytical Methods
Potentiometry:
- measure the potential of electrochemical cells without drawing substantial
current
Examples: pH measurements, ion-selective electrodes, titrations

Coulometry:
- measures the electricity required to drive an electrolytic oxid./red. to completion
Examples: titrations, “chloridometers” (AgCl)

Voltammetry:
- measures current as a function of applied potential under conditions that keep
a working electrode polarized
- Examples: cyclic voltammetry, many biosensors
ELECTROCHEMICAL CELLS
A dc electrochemical cell consists of two electrical conductors called electrodes,
each immersed in a suitable electrolyte solution. For a current to develop in a cell, it
is necessary
(1) that the electrodes be connected externally by means of a metal conductor,
(2) that the two electrolyte solutions be in contact to permit movement of ions
from one to the other, and
(3) that an electron transfer reaction can occur at each of the two electrodes.

salt bridge
- acts to isolate two halves of
electrochemical cell while allowing
migration of ions and current flow
- usually consists of a tube filled
with KCI
- separate species to prevent direct
chemical reactions
Conduction in a Cell:
Charge is conducted by three distinct processes in various parts of the cell

1. In the copper and Zinc electrodes, as well as in the external conductor, electrons
serve as carriers, moving from the zinc through the conductor to the copper.

2. Within the solutions the flow of electricity involves migration of both cations and
anions.

In the half cell on the left, zinc ions migrate away from the electrode, whereas sulfate and
hydrogen sulfate ions move toward it;
In the half cell on the right, copper ions move toward the electrode and anions away from it.
Within the salt bridge, electricity is carried by migration of potassium ions to the right and
chloride ion to the left.
3. A third process occurs at the two electrode surfaces. Here, an oxidation or a reduction
reaction provides a mechanism to provide a complete circuit for the flow of charge. The
two electrode processes are described by the equations

Zn(s) Zn2+ + 2e-

Cu2+ + 2e- Cu(s)
Galvanic and Electrolytic Cells
 The net cell reaction that occurs in the cell shown in Fig. 22-1 is the sum of
the two half-cell reactions

Zn(s) + Cu2+ Zn2+ + Cu(s)

 Cells, that are operated in a way that produces electrical energy are called
galvanic cells.
 Electrolytic cells consume electrical energy, e.g. the cell under discussion
could be made electrolytic by connecting the negative terminal of a dc power
supply to the zinc electrode and the positive terminal to the copper electrode.
 If the output of this supply was made somewhat greater than 1.1 V, the two
electrode reactions would be reversed and the net cell reaction would become

Cu(s) + Zn2+ Cu2+ + Zn(s)

A cell in which reversing the direction of the current simply reverses the
reactions at the two electrodes is termed a chemically reversible cell.
Anodes and Cathodes:
 The cathode of an electrochemical cell is the electrode at which reduction
occurs, while the anode is the electrode where oxidation takes place.
 The copper electrode is the cathode and the zinc electrode is the anode.
In contrast, where this same cell is operated as an electrolytic cell, the copper
electrode would be the anode and the zinc electrode the cathode.

Solution Structure; The Double Layer

 Electrochemical measurements involve heterogeneous systems because an
electrode can only donate or accept electrons from a species that is present in a
layer of solution that is immediately adjacent to the electrode. Thus, this layer may
have composition that differs significantly from that of the bulk of the solution.
 The surface of the metal electrode is shown as having an excess of positive
charge as a consequence of an applied positive potential.
 The charged solution layer consists of two parts:
 (1) a compact inner layer (d0 to d1), in which the potential decreases linearly
with distance from the electrode surface and
(2) a diffuse layer (d1 to d2), in which the decrease is exponential.
This assemblage of charge at the electrode surface and in the solution adjacent
to the surface is termed an electrical double layer.
 Faradaic and Nonfaradaic Currents
•Two types of processes can conduct currents across an electrode/solution
interface.

• One kind involves a direct transfer of electrons via an oxidation reaction at one
electrode and a reduction reaction at the other. Processes of this type are called
faradaic processes because they are governed by Faraday’s law, which states that
the amount of chemical reaction at an electrode is proportional to the current; the
resulting currents are called faradaic currents.

• To understand the basic difference between a faradaic and a nonfaradaic current,

imagine an electron traveling down the external circuit to an electrode surface.
When the electron reaches the solution interface, it can do one of only two things.
• It can remain at the electrode surface and increase the charge on the double layer, which constitutes
a nonfaradaic current.

•Alternatively, it can leave the electrode surface and transfer to a species in the solution, thus becoming
a part of a faradaic current.
Mass Transfer in Cells with the Passage of Current
A faradaic current requires continuous mass transfer of reactive species from the
bulk of the solution to the electrode surface. Three mechanisms bring about this
mass transfer:
• Convection involves mechanical motion of the solution as a result of stirring or
the flow of the solution past the surface of the electrode.
• Migration is the movement of ions through the solution brought about by
electrostatic attraction between the ions and the charged electrode.
• Diffusion is the motion of species brought about by a concentration gradient.

Schematic Representation of Cells

Chemists often employ a shorthand notation, e.g. the cell shown in Fig. 22-1

ZnZnSO4(aZn 2+ = 0.0100)   CuSO4(aCu 2+ = 0.0100)Cu

 By convention, the anode and information about the solution with which it is in
contact is always listed on the left. Single vertical lines represent phase boundaries
across which potential differences may develop.
 The cathode is then represented symbolically with another vertical line
separating the electrolyte solution from the copper electrode. Because the potential
of a cell is dependent upon activities of the cell components, it is common practice
to provide activity or concentration data for the cell constituents in parentheses.
The Thermodynamics of Cell Potentials
The potential of an electrochemical cell is related to the activities of the reactants
and products of the cell reaction and indirectly to their molar concentrations.
The relationship between the activity of a chemical species and its concentration is
given by
aX = X[X] Here, X is the activity coefficient of solute X and
the bracketed term is the molar concentration of X.
When the activity coefficient approaches unity, the molar concentration and the
activity of a species are identical.

2AgCl(s) + H2(g) 2Ag(s) + 2Cl- + 2H+ aH+ aCl- aAg

K=
pH aAgCl
The equilibrium constant K for this reaction is given by 2
where, a’s are the activities of the various species indicated by the subscripts and
pH2 is the partial pressure of hydrogen in atomospheres.
The activity of a pure solid is unity when it is present in excess (that is, aAg = aAgCl = 1.00)

Ecell = Ecell0 - RT/nF ln [(aH+)i2(aCl-)i2] Nernst equation.

The standard potential is equal to the cell potential when the reactants and products are at unit
activity and pressure.
Liquid Junction Potentials
 When two electrolyte solutions of different composition are brought into contact
with one another, a potential develops across the interface.
 This junction potential arises from an unequal distribution of cations and anions
across the boundary due to differences in the rates at which these species diffuse.
Consider the liquid junction in the system
HCl(1 M)HCl(0.01 M)
 Both hydrogen ions and chloride ions tend to diffuse across this boundary from the
more concentrated to the more dilute solution, the driving force for this movement
being proportional to the concentration difference.
 The more dilute side of the boundary becomes positively charged owing to the
more rapid diffusion of hydrogen ions; the concentrated side, therefore, acquires a
negative charge from the excess of slower-moving chloride ions.
ELECTRODE POTENTIALS
The cell reaction of an electrochemical cell as being made up of two half-cell
reactions, each of which has a characteristic electrode potential associated with it.
By convention, they are both written as reductions.
2AgCl(s) + 2e - 2Ag(s) + 2Cl -
2H+ + 2e - H2(g)
To obtain the cell reaction, the second half-reaction is subtracted from the first to
give
2AgCl(s) + H2 2Ag(s) + 2H+ + 2Cl -

That is, Ecell = EAgCl – EH+ or Ecell = Ecathode – Eanode

where, Ecathode and Eanode are the electrode potentials for the cathodic and anodic
half-reactions.
 The Standard Hydrogen Electrode (SHE)
 Hydrogen gas electrodes were widely used not only as reference electrodes
but also as indicator electrodes for the determination of pH. The composition
of this type of electrode can be represented as
Pt,H2(p atm)  H+(aH+ = x)
 The potential at the platinum surface depends upon the hydrogen ion
activity of the solution and upon the partial pressure of the hydrogen used to
saturate the solution.
 The hydrogen electrode may act as an anode or a cathode, depending
upon the half-cell with which it is coupled by means of the salt bridge.
 Hydrogen is oxidized to hydrogen ions when the electrode is an anode; the
reverse reaction takes place as a cathode.
 For the standard hydrogen electrode call for a hydrogen ion activity of unity
and a partial pressure for hydrogen of exactly one atmosphere. By
convention, the potential of this electrode is assigned the value of exactly
zero volt at all temperatures.
 Practical Reference Electrodes
 The standard hydrogen electrode is of great fundamental importance, the
difficulty in preparing the electrode surface and controlling the activities of the
reactants make it impractical enough.
 Reference electrodes that are simple to prepare, more rugged, and easier to use
are normally substituted for the hydrogen gas electrode.
 One of the most common of these is the silver/silver chloride electrode. This
electrode can be prepared by applying an oxidizing potential to a silver wire
immersed in a dilute solution of hydrochloric acid.
 The potential of this electrode is about 0.2 V positive with respect to the standard
hydrogen electrode. The electrode half-reaction is
2AgCl(s) + e - Cl - + 2Ag(s)
 A second widely used reference electrode is the saturated calomel electrode
(SCE), which consists of a pool of mercury in contact with a solution that is
saturated with mercury(I) chloride (calomel) as well as potassium chloride. The
potential of this reference is about 0.24 V positive. The electrode reaction is
Hg2Cl2(s) + 2e - 2 Cl - + 2Hg(l)
Definition of Electrode Potential

Electrode potentials are defined as cell potentials for a cell consisting of the
electrode acting as a cathode and the standard hydrogen electrode acting as an
anode.
The electrode potential for the half-reaction

M2+ + 2e- M(s)

 Here, the half-cell on the right (the cathode) consists of a strip of the metal M in
contact with a solution of M2+. The half-cell on the left (the anode) is standard
hydrogen electrode. By definition, the potential E observed on the voltage-
measuring device is the electrode potential for the M/ M2+ couple.
 If we assume that the activity of M2+ in the solution is exactly 1.00, the potential is
called the standard electrode potential for the system and is given the symbol E0.
That is, the standard electrode potential for a half-reaction is the electrode potential
when the reactants and products are all at unit activity.
The standard electrode potentials can be arranged in the order
Cu2+ + 2e- Cu(s) E0 = +0.337 V
2H+ + 2e- H2(g) E0 = 0.000 V
Cd2+ + 2e- Cd(s) E0 = -0.403 V
Zn2+ + 2e- Zn(s) E0 = -0.763 V

The magnitudes of these standard electrode potentials show the relative strengths as electron
acceptors; Cu2+ > H+ > Cd2+ > Zn2+.
Sign Conventions for Electrode Potentials
 According to the IUPAC convention, the term electrode potential is reserved
exclusively for half-reaction written as reductions.
 An oxidation potential should never be called an electrode potential.
 The sign of the electrode potential is determined by the actual sign of the
electrode of interest when it is coupled with a standard hydrogen electrode in a
galvanic cell.
 Thus, a zinc or a cadmium electrode will behave as the anode from which
electrons flow through the external circuit to the standard hydrogen electrode.
 These metal electrodes are thus the negative terminal of such galvanic cells,
and their electrode potentials are assigned negative values.
 Thus, Zn2+ + 2e- Zn(s) E0 = -0.763 V
Cd2+ + 2e- Cd(s) E0 = -0.403 V
The potential for the copper electrode is given a positive sign because the
copper behaves as a cathode in a galvanic cell constructed from this electrode
and the hydrogen electrode; electrons flow toward the copper electrode through
the external circuit. It is thus the positive terminal of the galvanic cell and for
copper, we may write
Cu2+ + 2e- Cu(s) E0 = +0.337 V
The sign of the electrode potential will indicate whether or not the reduction is
spontaneous with respect to the standard hydrogen electrode.
Effect of Activity on Electrode Potential
Let us consider the half-reaction

pP + qQ + …… + ne- rR +sS…..

where the capital letters represent formulas of reacting species, e- represents the
electron, and the lower-case letters indicate the number of moles of each species.

 aRi .  aS i .....
r s
At room temperature (298 K) 0.0592
E  E0  log
 aP i . aQi .....
p q
n
Equation is a general statement of the Nernst equation, which can be applied both to half-
cell reactions or cell reactions

Substitution of Concentration for Activities:

 Molar concentration—rather than activities—of reactive species are generally
employed in making computations with the Nernst equation.
 The assumption that these two quantities are identical is valid only in dilute
solutions: with increasing electrolyte concentrations, potentials calculated on the
basis of molar concentrations can be expected to depart from those obtained by
experiment.
The Standard Electrode Potential, E0
An examination of Nernst equation reveals that the constant E0 is equal to the
half-cell potential when the logarithmic term is zero.
This condition occurs whenever the activity quotient is equal to unity, one such
instance being when the activities of all reactants and products are unity.
Thus, the standard potential is often defined as the electrode potential of a half-
cell reaction (vs. SHE) when all reactants and products are present at unit activity.

Effect of Other Equilibria:

The application of standard electrode potentials is further complicated by the
occurrence of solvation, dissociation, association, and complex-formation reactions
involving the species of interest.

Formal Potentials:
 Swift proposed substituting a quantity called the formal potential E0’ in place of
the standard electrode potential in oxidation/reduction calculations.
 In order to compensate partially for activity effects and errors resulting from side
reactions.
 The formal potential of a system is the potential of the half-cell with respect to the
standard hydrogen electrode when the concentrations of reactants and products
are 1 M and the concentrations of any other constituents of the solution are
carefully specified.
Calculation Of Cell Potentials From Electrode Potentials
 An important use of standard electrode potentials is the calculation of the potential
obtainable from a galvanic cell or the potential required to operate an electrolytic cell.
 The electromotive force of a cell is obtained by combining half-cell potentials as
follows: Ecell = Ecathode – Eanode

Consider a hypothetical cell

Zn|ZnSO4(aZn2+ = 1.00)||CuSO4 (aCu2+ = 1.00)|Cu

using E0 data from Table 22-1, Ecell = +0.337 –(-0.763) = +1.100 V

The positive sign for the cell potential indicates that the reaction
Zn(s) + Cu2+  Zn2+ + Cu(s) occurs spontaneously and this is a galvanic cell.

 The foregoing cell, diagrammed as Cu|Cu2+(aCu2+ = 1.00)|| Zn2+(aZn2+ = 1.00)|Zn

implies that the copper electrode is now the anode. Thus,

Ecell = -0.763 –(+0.337) = -1.100 V
The negative sign indicates the nonspontaneity of the reaction

Cu(s) + Zn2+  Cu2+ + Zn(s) The application of an external potential greater than
1.100 V is required to cause this reaction to occur.
22E Currents In Electrochemical Cells
 Except potentiometric methods all electroanalytical methods involve electrical
currents and current measurements. We need to consider the behavior of cells
when significant currents are present.

 Electricity is carried within a cell by the movement of ions. With small currents,
Ohm’s law is usually obeyed, and we may write E = IR where E is the potential
difference in volts responsible for movement of the ions, I is the current in amperes,
and R is the resistance in ohms of the electrolyte to the current.

The measured cell potential normally departs from that derived from theoretical
thermodynamic calculation. This departure can be traced to a number of
phenomena, including:
 ohmic potential and
 several polarization effects, such as :
charge-transfer polarization,
concentration polarization,
diffusion overvoltage, and
crystallization overvoltage.
Generally, these phenomena have the effect of reducing the potential of a galvanic cell or increasing
the potential needed to develop a current in an electrolytic cell.
22E-1 Ohmic Potential; IR Drop
 To develop a current in either a galvanic or an electrolytic cell, a driving force in
the form of a potential is required to overcome the resistance of the ions to
movement toward the anode and the cathode.

 This force follows Ohm’s law and is equal to the product of the current in
amperes and the resistance of the cell in ohms. The force is generally referred to
as the ohmic potential, or the IR drop.

 The net effect of IR drop is to increase the potential required to operate an

electrolytic cell and to decrease the measured potential of a galvanic cell.
Therefore, the IR drop is always subtracted from the theoretical cell potential.

Eapplied = Ecathode – Eanode - IR

22E-2 Polarization
 In several important electroanalytical methods we measure the current in a cell
as a function of potential and construct current versus voltage curves from the data.
Equation 22-16 Eapplied = Ecathode – Eanode - IR predicts a linear relationship
between the cell voltage and the current at constant electrode potentials.
 In fact, current-voltage curves are frequently nonlinear at the extremes; under
these circumstances, the cell is polarized. Polarization may occur at one or both
electrodes.
 The term polarization refers to the deviation of the
electrode potential from the value predicted by the
Nernst equation on the passage of current.
 Cells that exhibit nonlinear behavior at higher
currents exhibit polarization, and the degree of
polarization is given by an overvoltage, or
overpotential, which is symbolized by .
Eapplied = Ecell – IR – 
Factors that influence polarization are
(1) electrode size, shape, and composition;
(2) composition of the electrolyte solution;
(3) temperature and stirring rate;
Experimental current/voltage
(4) current level; and
curve for operation of the cell.
(5) physical state of the species participating in the
cell reaction.
Polarization phenomena can be divided into two categories:

a) concentration polarization and

b) kinetic polarization.

Concentration polarization occurs because of the finite rate of mass transfer from
the solution to the electrode surface.

It occurs when reactant species do not arrive at the surface of the electrode or
product species do not leave the surface of the electrode fast enough to maintain
the desired current.

Reactants are transported to the surface of an electrode by three mechanisms:

diffusion, migration, and convection.

Products are removed from electrode surfaces in the same ways.

 Diffusion
Whenever there is a concentration difference between two regions of a solution, as
happens when a species is reduced at a cathode surface (or oxidized at
an anode surface), diffusion causes ions or molecules to move from the more
concentrated region to the more dilute. The rate of diffusion is given by
c is the reactant concentration in the bulk of the solution,
dc / dt = k( c-c0 ) Co is its equilibrium concentration at the electrode surface, and
k is a proportionality constant.

As shown earlier, the value of C0 is fixed by the potential of the electrode and can be
calculated from the Nernst equation. As increasingly higher potentials are applied to
the electrode, C0 becomes smaller and smaller, and the diffusion rate becomes
greater and greater.
Ultimately, however, C0 becomes negligible with respect to c, and the rate then
becomes constant. That is, when C0  0, dc / dt = k c
Under this condition, concentration polarization is said to be complete, and the
electrode operates as an ideal polarized electrode
Convection is the transport of ions or molecules through a solution as a result of
stirring, vibration, or temperature gradients. Thus, forced convection, such as
stirring or agitation, tends to decrease concentration polarization.

Migration is the process by which ions move under

the influence of an electrostatic field. It is often the
primary mass-transfer process in the bulk of the
solution in a cell. The electrostatic attraction (or
repulsion) between a particular ionic species and
the electrode becomes smaller as the total
electrolyte concentration of the solution becomes
greater. It may approach zero when the reactive
species is only a small fraction, say 1/100,of the
total concentration of ions with a given charge.
To summarize, concentration polarization is observed
when diffusion, migration, and convection are
insufficient to transport the reactant to or from an
electrode surface at a rate demanded by the theoretical
current.
Because of concentration polarization, a larger
potential must he applied to an electrolytic cell than the
value predicted from the thermodynamic potential and
the IR drop.
Charge-Transfer Polarization
 Charge-transfer polarization arises when the rate of the oxidation or reduction
reaction at one or both electrodes is not sufficiently rapid to yield currents of the
size demanded. The overvoltage arising from charge-transfer polarization has the
following characteristics:
1. Overvoltages increase with current density (current density is defined as
the amperes per square centimeter of electrode surface)
2. Overvoltages usually decrease with increases in temperature.
3. Overvoltages vary with the chemical composition of the electrode.
4. Overvoltages are most marked for electrode processes that yield
gaseous products such as hydrogen or oxygen; they are frequently
negligible where a metal is being deposited or where an ion is under going
a change of oxidation state.
5. The magnitude of overvoltage in any given situation cannot be predicted
exactly because it is determined by a number of uncontrollable
variables.
 To begin our discussion, it is useful to consider current-voltage curves
for an ideal polarized and an ideal nonpolarized electrode. Polarization
at a single electrode can be studied by coupling it with an electrode that
is not easily polarized.
• Such electrodes have large surface areas and have half-cell reactions
that are rapid and reversible. Design details of nonpolarized electrodes
are described in subsequent chapters.