While cyclic voltammetry is a widely used electroanalytical technique,¹ variable voltage sweep rates have not been extensively exploited; though the theory for a variety of mechanistic situations has been worked out,^{2, 3} and the feasibility of its use up to 50 000 V s^–1 has been tested experimentally.⁴ The main advantage of the method is that a simple picture is obtained which may indicate the existence of an intermediate.

In this paper a range of experimental situations is discussed, including that of stable intermediates, unstable electro-active intermediates, and unstable electro-inactive intermediates. The range of information about the nature of the intermediates obtainable by cyclic voltammetry is given and hence the ability to infer the nature of the intermediate from these data is shown. Future developments involving the digital acquisition of data are discussed; these will enable faster sweep rates to be used and hence shorter-lived intermediates to be detected.