Fundamental Principles of Organic Electrochemistry: Fundamental Aspects of Electrochemistry Dealing with Organic Molecules - Fundamentals and Applications of Organic Electrochemistry - page 14

thermal convection cannot be ignored in this
case.
To evaluate the limiting current density, a
steady-state polarization curve is usually
measured and the diffusion coefficient ( D ),
diffusion layer thickness ( δ ) or the number of
electrons involved in the electrode reaction ( n )
can be derived from the measured current
density and Eq. 1.4 .
In order to obtain mechanistic information
about organic electrochemical reactions,
non-steady-state polarization curves such as
cyclic and linear sweep voltammograms are
usually measured. CV is the most frequently
used technique in organic electrochemistry, and
hence we will discuss it in more detail below.
In CV, the potential of a stationary electrode is
changed linearly towards increasingly negative
or positive directions until the electrode process
of interest, either a reduction or oxidation,
respectively, takes place, and then the direction
of the potential scan is reversed. This
experiment is capable of providing a great deal
of useful information about the redox potential
of the studied organic molecules and the
relative rates of electron transfer, mass
transport and any chemical reactions taking
place at the electrode surface.
Let us now consider the very simple CV for the
redox reaction of ferrocene (Fc). It is well