Title: platinum electrode
Long Title: IUPAC Gold Book - platinum electrode
DOI: 10.1351/goldbook.09100
Status: current

Definition
Foil, wire, disc, or mesh electrode made of platinum, which is the most commonly used metallic working electrode in electrochemistry.

Note
\(\ce{Pt}\) has a very small overpotential for hydrogen evolution, which determines the negative potential limit in protic solvents. \(\ce{Pt}\) adsorbs hydrogen, resulting in hydrogen adsorption/desorption waves. However, the positive potential limit in polar aprotic solvents free of oxygen and water is higher than that for any other commonly used electrode materials. In the presence of water and/or oxygen, \(\ce{Pt}\) forms a film of oxide (and/or chemisorbed oxygen), resulting in potentially interfering waves or peaks.

Related Term
- electrode: https://goldbook.iupac.org//terms/view/09060

Source
- PAC, 2020, 92, 641. 'Terminology of Electrochemical Methods of Analysis (IUPAC Recommendations 2019)' on page 660 (https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2018-0109)

Other Outputs
- html: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/09100/html
- json: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/09100/json
- xml: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/09100/xml

Citation: Citation: 'platinum electrode' in IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 5th ed. International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry; 2025. Online version 5.0.0, 2025. 10.1351/goldbook.09100
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Accessed: 2026-08-06T08:05:14+00:00