Abstract

In voltammetry, the choice of working electrode is of outmost importance to fulfil needed demands and criteria. Heyrovskys invention of the polarographic method started in 1922, for which he was granted the Nobel Prize in 1959, was a pioneer work within the field of electroanalytical chemistry. In polarography, the working electrode is normally a liquid mercury drop electrode, which possesses several advantageous properties for this purpose. Voltammetric methods have recently proved to have a great potential within off-laboratory environmental monitoring, which has created a demand for additional electrodes specifically for such purposes. This review gives a short overview of the solid silver amalgam electrode and some additional alloy electrodes, which during the last 10 years have been reported to be suitable alternative electrodes to liquid mercury, especially for environmental monitoring.

Keywords: Solid silver amalgam electrode, Alloy electrodes, Voltammetry, Trace metals