A "virtual" electroanalytical instrument for square wave voltammetry

In this work we report the design, construction, control and applications of a computerised portable analyser suitable for analytical square wave (SW) voltammetry. The analyser is based on a home-made miniature potentiostat powered by two 9 V batteries. The electrochemical control programme, developed in LabVIEW 5.1(TM), generated the SW modulation signal, scanned the potential of the working electrode, acquired the current and displayed the results in the form of a voltammogram. Suitable programmes were also developed in LabVIEW 5.1(TM) for experiments involving preconcentration and for computer-asssisted optimisation of the instrumental parameters. The small dimensions, battery operation and inexpensive electronic components make this electrochemical analyser ideal for in situ or field measurements. The utility of the instrument was assessed for different variants of SW voltammetry (direct SW voltammetry, anodic SW stripping voltammetry, cathodic SW stripping voltammetry, adsorptive SW stripping voltammetry, enrichement SW voltammetry) on different electrodes and applied to the determination of riboflavin in multivitamin tablets. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.