Extension of electrochemical methods of study of inclusion complexes to the case where the guest molecule undergoes a multielectron, multiproton electrode reaction: Study of phenolic acids forming inclusion complexes with α- and β-cyclodextrins

► The mechanism of the electrochemical oxidation of three phenolic acids has been studied. ► The effect of the addition of α- and β-cyclodextrin on the electrochemistry of the phenolic acids was examined. ► Formation constants for the phenolic acid-cyclodextrin inclusion complexes were determined. ► The electrochemical results were in moderately good agreement with those obtained by microcalorimetry.