In analytical and environmental chemistry there is a persistent need for rapid, inexpensive and sensitive detection of harmful organic compounds such as medicinal products, e.g. lidocaine, that can cause low blood pressure and an irregular heart rate and that often contaminate waste water, or caffeine, a screening-parameter for determining the quality of drinking water because it enters drinking water reservoirs only via the contamination of waste water. This article presents some reliable and easily performed spectroelectrochemical measurements, such as electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL), to identify lidocaine and caffeine. The main features of the spectroelectrochemical method are screen-printed electrodes (SPE) that use gold as the working electrode. In addition, this article compares the results of a low-cost experimental set-up ideal for classroom experiments with professional ECL-equipment. The experiments were conducted in an undergraduate-level university course in electrochemistry.

upper-division undergraduate, hands-on learning/manipulatives, electrochemistry, mass-spectrometry