The ECrevEC′ Mechanism as a Universal Model for Simulating Common Electrode Processes in Cyclic Voltammetry

Theoretical models in voltammetry are traditionally developed for specific electrode mechanisms, requiring separate mathematical treatments for simple electron-transfer reactions, catalytic processes, chemical follow-up reactions, regenerative pathways, and adsorption-controlled systems. In this work, we demonstrate that the reversible ECrevEC′ reaction scheme can serve as a unified theoretical framework capable of reproducing the voltammetric behavior of a broad spectrum of commonly encountered electrode mechanisms. Using systematic numerical simulations under cyclo voltammetric conditions, we show that appropriate limiting values of the kinetic and thermodynamic parameters transform the parent ECrevEC′ mechanism into numerous classical reaction pathways, including reversible and quasireversible electron transfer, EC, CE, catalytic EC′, regenerative ECEC′, and related mechanisms. The simulations reveal continuous transitions between mechanistic regimes and establish direct relationships among apparently distinct electrode processes. The proposed approach enables interpretation of diverse voltammetric responses within a single theoretical formalism, reducing the need for multiple independent mechanistic models. Beyond its pedagogical value, the framework provides a practical tool for mechanistic analysis, parameter estimation, and exploration of complex reaction pathways. The results suggest that the diffusional ECrevEC′ mechanism represents a versatile parent model from which many conventional electrode mechanisms can be derived as special limiting cases, thus offering a new perspective toward a unified theory of voltammetric processes. In addition, in the previous work, we gave all important figures, and the entire theoretical model in MATHCAD.