In potentiometry we measure the difference between the potential of two electrodes. The potential of one electrode—the working or indicator electrode—responds to the analyte’s activity and the other e...In potentiometry we measure the difference between the potential of two electrodes. The potential of one electrode—the working or indicator electrode—responds to the analyte’s activity and the other electrode—the counter or reference electrode—has a known, fixed potential. By convention, the reference electrode is the anode.
In potentiometry we measure the potential of an electrochemical cell under static conditions. Because no current—or only a negligible current—flows through the electrochemical cell, its composition re...In potentiometry we measure the potential of an electrochemical cell under static conditions. Because no current—or only a negligible current—flows through the electrochemical cell, its composition remains unchanged. For this reason, potentiometry is a useful quantitative method. The first quantitative potentiometric applications appeared soon after the formulation of the Nernst equation, which relates an electrochemical cell’s potential to the concentration of electroactive species in the cell.
