Student-Made Reference Electrodes for Cost-Effective and Reliable Electroanalysis

Electrochemistry is ubiquitous as a pedagogical and analytical tool due to its accessibility and simplicity. Herein, we contribute to the growing number of publications that present hands-on experiments to introduce fundamental electrochemical ideas to students before they reach the undergraduate level. We describe a simple method for the fabrication of Ag/AgCl reference electrodes and instructions on how to introduce electrochemistry and cyclic voltammetry. These experiments allowed students to build and understand one of the most important components of electroanalysis: the reference electrode. Additionally, students were introduced to redox chemistry, the role of each electrode in a typical electrochemical experiment, and scientific communication. Using these hands-on experiments and instruction, high school students were able to create and present research-quality posters to demonstrate their understanding of fundamental electrochemistry concepts. The content was specifically designed for gifted students and was scaled one to two grade levels above their current grade. Our reported experiments can easily be adapted for introductory undergraduate chemistry courses.