Polarographic procedures without removal of oxygen, and other approaches to making the determinations more rapidly

One disadvantage of conventional d.c. polarography as an analytical method has always been its relative slowness. The possibility of simplifying and speeding up analyses by avoiding the necessity for removal of oxygen is demonstrated under suitable conditions with current-sampled d.c., pulse and a.c. polarography. In particular it is shown that high-frequency phase-selective a.c. polarography gives considerable discrimination against the oxygen electrode process in some aqueous media. Under these conditions, the high-frequency a.c. technique can be combined with the method of short drop-time, fast scan-rate rapid a.c. polarography to provide a most attractive method of routine analysis. Polarographic analysis in non-aqueous media without removal of oxygen is also discussed.