Teaching Students to Use Electrochemistry as a Probe of Molecular Behavior

Undergraduate instruction in electrochemistry is often not as exhaustive as given in spectroscopic or chromatographic techniques. In particular, it is not typical to expose students to experiments highlighting the qualitative aspects of electrochemical methods. We have addressed this opportunity by incorporating into upper-level undergraduate laboratories experiments utilizing modern, computer-controlled electrochemical workstations to probe molecular behavior. To this end, exercises of appropriate difficulty are described for calculating rate constants, surface coverage, and deducing electron-transfer mechanisms. These have been observed to be challenging and stimulating for student investigators.