Cyclic voltammetry sweeps an electrode potential forward and then reverses the sweep while recording electric current. The resulting current-potential curve probes electron transfer and chemical reactions coupled to it.
An oxidation peak followed by a reduction peak can indicate that an electrode-generated species survives long enough to react on the return sweep. Changing the scan rate changes the experimental timescale; loss of a return peak can therefore reveal a subsequent reaction, although transport and electrode kinetics must also be considered.
New to topics? Read the docs here!