Electrochemical Behavior of Copper on Unmodified Glassy Carbon in Chloride‐Containing Nitric Acid Media

This study has been conducted on the electrochemical behavior of copper in chloride‐containing nitric acid media by cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry, and chronopotentiometry. The results showed that the diffusion process controls the copper reduction process on the glassy carbon. A typical current transient of progressive nucleation and three‐dimensional (3D) growth were obtained and the diffusion coefficient D of about 2.0987 × 10 −6 cm 2 .s −1 was determined. It is found that the anodic current density of the oxidation peaks is proportional to the concentration of the precursor in the solution. The nucleation rate increased with increasing applied potential, suggesting better yields at increasingly negative deposition potentials. Chloride‐containing nitric acid can be used as a solvent for copper identification on glassy carbon. These results are important from an analytical point of view because nitric acid is a good digesting solvent frequently used in soil studies.