Catalytic reduction currents in the stripping voltammetry of solutions of the system copper(II)-ascorbic acid and their application in analytical chemistry

It has been found that the analytical signal from copper(II), cadmium(II), and zinc(II) in alternating-current stripping voltammetry in the presence of ascorbic acid (AA) increases only for copper(II) ions, which have significant oxidative potential. It is associated with the appearance of a catalytic current of the reducer in stripping voltammetry, where the reducer is AA. A scheme has been proposed for this process. The rate constant has been calculated for the chemical reduction of copper(I) ions, electrochemically produced in the diffusion layer as a result of the electrochemical oxidation of copper atoms, with AA. A procedure has been developed for the determination of copper in model solutions using the catalytic current of AA; the limit of copper detection is 0.01 μg/L, which is one order lower than the one achieved without AA.