Analytical Applications of Solid and Paste Amalgam Electrodes

The review describes working and reference electrodes based on solid and/or paste amalgams and their application for voltammetric, amperometric, and potentiometric determination of both inorganic and organic analytes. Attention is paid to their preparation, pre-treatment and possible modification, and their application in classical voltammetric arrangements, in flowing systems (HPLC-ED, FIA-ED), and in adsorptive transfer stripping voltammetry. The review confirms that amalgam electrodes can successfully substitute mercury electrodes and, in some special cases, offer possibilities not available to mercury electrodes.