24: Coulometry
- Page ID
- 333377
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In a potentiometric method of analysis we determine an analyte’s concentration by measuring the potential of an electrochemical cell under static conditions in which no current flows and the concentrations of species in the electrochemical cell remain fixed. Dynamic techniques, in which current passes through the electrochemical cell and concentrations change, also are important electrochemical methods of analysis. In this Chapter we consider coulometry. Voltammetry and amperometry are covered in Chapter 25.
- 24.1: Introduction to Coulometry
- Coulometry is based on an exhaustive electrolysis of the analyte. By exhaustive we mean that the analyte is oxidized or reduced completely at the working electrode, or that it reacts completely with a reagent generated at the working electrode. There are two forms of coulometry: controlled-potential coulometry, in which we apply a constant potential to the electrochemical cell, and controlled-current coulometry, in which we pass a constant current through the electrochemical cell.
- 24.2: Controlled-Potential Coulometry
- In this section we consider the experimental parameters and instrumentation needed to develop a controlled-potential coulometric method of analysis and its applications.
- 24.3: Controlled-Current Coulometry
- lled-current coulometry has two advantages over controlled-potential coulometry. First, the analysis time is shorter because the current does not decrease over time. A typical analysis time for controlled-current coulometry is less than 10 min, compared to approximately 30–60 min for controlled-potential coulometry. Second, because the total charge is simply the product of current and time, there is no need to integrate the current-time curve.