Resolution of Multicomponent Systems and Speciation

In the previous chapter, methodologies for identifying individual species in works of art have been presented for cases where only one (or one main) electroactive component is present. Such electrochemical methods, however, can be extended to cases in which several electroactive species contribute to the observed electrochemical response. Resolution of multicomponent systems, considered here as a possibility for simultaneously identifying different electroactive compounds in the sample, can be achieved by applying different methodologies. These can, in principle, be divided into: (a) “electrochemical” methodologies, based on the variation of electrochemical parameters and handling of electrochemical data, and, (b) “chemical” methodologies, based on the selective choice of chemical inputs (pH variation, complexing electrolytes) for improving the electrochemical discrimination of the components of the sample.