06132 IUPAC Gold Book - summit current 10.1351/goldbook.S06132 S06132 current 1 In ac polarography, differential pulse polarography, derivative polarography, square-wave polarography, and similar techniques, the maximum value of the component of the current that is associated with the presence of a substance B. Normally this component of the current is faradaic, and the maximum arises because the rate of variation (with applied potential) of the rate of the charge-transfer process passes through a maximum. Similar maxima arise when this component is non-faradaic (and when B is surface-active rather than electroactive). In a case known to be of the latter type, the term apex current is recommended as being more specific. apex current https://goldbook.iupac.org//terms/view/A00412 applied potential https://goldbook.iupac.org//terms/view/A00424 polarography https://goldbook.iupac.org//terms/view/P04716 PAC, 1985, 57, 1491. 'Recommended terms, symbols, and definitions for electroanalytical chemistry (Recommendations 1985)' on page 1499 (https://doi.org/10.1351/pac198557101491) https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/S06132/html https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/S06132/json https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/S06132/plain Citation: 'summit current' 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.S06132 The IUPAC Gold Book is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike CC BY-SA 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) for individual terms. If you are interested in licensing the Gold Book for commercial use, please contact the IUPAC Executive Director at executivedirector@iupac.org . The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) is continuously reviewing and, where needed, updating terms in the Compendium of Chemical Terminology (the IUPAC Gold Book). Users of these terms are encouraged to include the version of a term with its use and to check regularly for updates to term definitions that you are using. 2026-07-23T01:03:24+00:00