Spectro-electrochemistry
Combination electrochemistry & LC-MS/MS
An in-depth understanding of the electrochemical oxidation and reduction mechanisms is crucial for fully exploiting electrochemical behaviour of low molecular weight molecules. Therefore, in A-Sense Lab we combine information obtained from amperometric and voltammetric measurements with the identification of the formed oxidation/reduction products by high resolution LC-MS/MS (Toxicological Centre, UAntwerp). This allows us insight in the electrochemical and chemical reaction occurring at the electrodes and results into a detailed electrochemical mechanism. As an added bonus, the identified products can mimic the formation of potential oxidative metabolites that could occur in a living organism.
Key publication: N. Sleegers, A. van Nuijs, M. van den Berg and K. De Wael Analytical Chemistry 91(3) (2019) 2035-2041
Spectro-electrochemical setups
Spectroelectrochemistry can provide unique insights into interfacial reactions and redox processes. In a typical example, in situ UV-VIS absorption spectroscopy follows a redox conversion at an optically transparent or metallic grid electrode. This allows to identify participating reaction species and determine the energy and mechanism of redox conversions, basically answering “What?” and “How?”.
Picture: Spectroelectrochemical study of Zn naphthalocyanine confirms reversible one-electron transition associated with the oxidation of the macrocycle around -0.23 V, whereas voltammetric behavior was unclear due to strong aggregation.