Anodic stripping voltammetry – ASV for determination of heavy metals

Abstract

Although voltammetric methods presented a number of difficulties in its early stages, nowadays "ASV" anodic stripping voltammetry is considered one of the most sensitive electro-analytical and suitable for trace-level determination of many metals and compounds in environmental samples, clinical and industrial [1, 2, 3]. Its sensitivity is attributed to the combination of a step of pre-concentration effective together with an electrochemical advanced measurement of accumulated analyte [4]. This paper presents an overview of the voltammetry, which includes a group of electro-analytical methods, in them the information about analyte is obtained from measurements of the current flowing in an electrochemical cell when applied a potential difference to an suitable electrode system.