An overview of recent advances in the detection of ascorbic acid by electrochemical techniques

Ascorbic acid is a water-soluble vitamin essential in human nutrition, an antioxidant, a scavenger of free radicals in biological systems, and a cofactor of several enzymes. The reference range for ascorbic acid in healthy people is 6 - 20 mg L-1. The variable concentration of ascorbic acid within biology fluids was found in clinical investigations to be a metric for assessing the exact amount of oxidative stress in the body's metabolism. Electroanalytical techniques are a group of methods in analytical chemistry, especially with extensive application in pharmaceutical industries. These techniques attracted further attention due to their unique characteristics, such as reduced sample or solvent con­sumption, high analysis speed, low operating cost, and high sensitivity, which made them suitable candidates for replacement or supplementation for spectrophotometry and separation approaches. The purpose of this article is to scrutinize the mechanisms and applications of current electroanalytical methods, including amperometric techniques, square wave voltammetry, differential pulse voltammetry and cyclic voltammetry, in their applications in pharmaceutical analysis for the detection of ascorbic acid. Related examples have been cited in the form of selected studies.