In situ microwave activation of electrochemical processes in a novel electrochemical cell, in which intense microwave radiation is focused locally into the region at the electrode surface±solution interface, is shown to allow high-temperature voltammetry experiments at 100 mm Pt disk electrodes. Factors such as the cell geometry and the deposition of a thin ®lm of mercury are shown to in¯uence the microwave effect. The detection of trace metals or impurities by anodic stripping voltammetry is a routinely applied procedure with applications especially in rapid online monitoring, in remote place analysis, or for extremely dilute samples. For cadmium detection by anodic stripping voltammetry microwave radiation is demonstrated to strongly affect the accumulation process but not the stripping process. Calibration of the effects induced by microwave radiation on the experimentally observed voltammetric data, based on the equilibrium potentials for the FeCN 4Àa3À 6 and the RuNH 3 3a2 6 redox systems, demonstrates that the data obtained are consistent with a thermally enhanced process. The temperature achievable at the electrode±solution interface before boiling and cavitation occurs, is shown to be strongly dependent on the type of electrode material and surface morphology. At a mercury ®lm electrode deposited on platinum temperatures in excess of 150C can be applied in voltammetric experiments in a constant heating mode.