Consolidated designer waveform for maximizing analytical output of voltammetric measurements for complex chemical matrices,Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry

Electroanalysis has been widely used for quantitative analysis of electroactive (undergoing faradaic reaction) but also in lesser extent to non-electroactive (tensammetry) species. Traditional approach comprises of defining the best conditions to obtain specific signal for the individual constituent of interest. These conditions include selection of specific electroanalytical technique and its parameters and/or modification of chemical solution. Typically, the method development for every single species to be analyzed of a multiple-constituent matrix follows such a scheme and eventually a step-by-step analysis of all constituents of interest is performed.

The new approach presented in this paper differs significantly from the traditional method development. Attention is focused on the development on a complex “consolidated designer waveform” that covers a wide range of electroanalytical conditions. This complex waveform is a combination of different electroanalytical techniques and/or parameters that cannot be described by a single, conventional technique, while its sub-waveforms (parts of the complex waveform) can be related to the traditional electrochemical method. This designer waveform is applied to the cell filled with the analyte solution and the resultant electrochemical output is used to predict the concentrations of multiple constituents of the complex matrix in a single run.