ELECTROCHEMICAL SOLID-STATE ANALYSIS - STATE-OF-THE-ART

The direct electrochemical analysis of insoluble solid substances has always been a great challenge to electrochemists. Digestion of samples, for example, leads to loss of information concerning the structures of the solids. If the solid sample is electron-conducting itself, as metals and alloys are, it can be used as a solid electrode. Solid compounds which are insulators, or which do not have sufficient conductivity, can be introduced into a carbon paste or mechanically attached to solid electrodes. With the electrochemistry of solid compounds their qualitative and quantitative identification is possible and information on thermodynamics and on different modifications is accessible.