Analysis of Two Redox Couples in a Series: An Expanded Experiment To Introduce Undergraduate Students to Cyclic Voltammetry and Electrochemical Simulations

Cyclic voltammetry (CV) is a popular technique for the determination of electrochemical mechanisms because it can provide useful information on a redox couple. Computer simulations of CV data are sometimes used to study complex redox systems with interrelated processes. The following communication outlines an expanded version of an experiment developed to introduce undergraduate students to CV and electrochemical simulations. A new solvent/electrolyte system of dimethylformamide with 0.1 M tetrabutylammonium hexafluorophosphate increases analyte solubility, improves sample conductivity, and extends the electrochemical domain as compared to the original experiment. Simulation parameters determined by wave clipping the first redox couple of a series are used to simulate a more complex two-redox system of the same compound. Experiments designed to teach CV and electrochemical simulations to undergraduate students rarely use wave clipping as a technique to simplify experimental data for the analysis of a more complex system. The addition of wave clipping and the analysis of a two redox system increase the laboratory experience gained by the students as compared to the original experiment, which was limited to a single redox couple.