ABSTRACT An electrochemical investigation for rutin on glassy carbon electrode is presented. An adsorptive process is observed. The maximum coverage on the electrode surface is 5.09 × 10−10 mol/cm2, this area corresponding to a benzene ring with 3′,4′-dihydroxides adsorbed on the electrode surface; the other parts of rutin keep away from the surface. In the meantime, a new electrochemical method for determining rutin is presented. In a medium of 0.1 M acetate buffer solution (pH = 4.46), a very sensitive polargraphic adsorptive wave is observed by using a differential pulse voltammetry at about 0.29 V (vs. Ag/AgCl). The linear relationship between the peak current and the concentration of rutin exists in a range from 3.28 × 10−7 to 3.28 × 10−5 M. The detection limit of rutin is down to 2.51 × 10−8 M. This method has been applied to determine rutin in several samples of Chinese medicines. The results are satisfactory.