The interfacial adsorption behaviour of the amino acid, phenylalanine (Phe), was studied at a polycrystalline Au surface in 0.05 M KClO4 using cyclic voltammetry, chronocoulometry (CC) and electrochemical quartz crystal nanobalance (EQCN) frequency measurements. The frequency was observed to decrease with increasing concentration of Phe, indicating that the frequency measurements were following analyte adsorption directly. Both CC and EQCN frequency measurements showed a two-stage adsorption process, consistent with the molecule being adsorbed in the horizontal position at negative potentials, but rearranged to the more upright position at potentials more positive to the potential of zero charge. From the slopes at the onset of each of these two regions in plots of change in mass from the EQCN frequency measurements versus the surface charge density from CC measurements, the calculated molar mass corresponded to that of Phe displacing adsorbed water molecules for EQCN measurements made with small bulk concentrations of Phe (i.e., < 1 x 10(-4) mol L-1). The adsorption process from CC measurements for Phe, described using the Henry adsorption isotherm, gave Gibbs energies of adsorption (AGADS) ranging from -18 to -35 kJ mol(-1) over the potential range of -0.6 to 0.6 V. The observed decrease in frequency of the EQCN measurements with additions of aliquots of amino acid and the substantial AGADS values suggests that Phe adsorbs onto the surface via chemisorption. Surface concentrations (1.2 x 10(-10) mol cm(-2)) were in excellent agreement between the EQCN and CC measurements for small bulk concentrations of Phe (4.0 x 10(-5) mol L-1), in very good agreement with previously published results at the Au(1 1 1) surface. Thus, for small bulk concentrations of analyte, these electrochemical techniques complement one another to enhance our knowledge of the behaviour of thin organic films at electrode surfaces. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.