Ferrocene as an internal standard for electrochemical measurements

Abstract

Electrochemistry is an increasingly popular technique for the characterization of new compounds. The basic thermodynamic quantity that is assigned to an electrode process is the standard or formal reduction potential (E^o or E^f). In aqueous solution the measurement of reduction potentials is facilitated by the use of reliable and universally accepted reference electrodes such as the normal hydrogen electrode (NHE) or the saturated calomel electrode (SCE). In many instances electrochemical measurements in water are impossible due to insolubility or instability of the compound. Unfortunately, no universal reference electrode exists for nonaqueous solvents.