AdSCP determines a metal ion, M, by accumulation of its surface active complex with an added ligand, ML(ad), on an electrode surface, followed by reduction at constant strip current. Typically, the L(ad) is not highly selective, which raises the option of simultaneous multi-metal detection as well as the possibility of interferences in mixed metal systems. Here the features of AdSCP in multi-metal systems are characterised and conditions for straightforward quantification of a target ML(ad) are elaborated. Aspects which impact on the accumulation step (co-adsorption) and the stripping step (parasitic strip current, prior transitions for co-adsorbed species) are described and illustrated with experimental data. The impact of these processes on the stripping transition can be estimated by variation of the accumulation potential and by manipulation of the stripping current. Selection of appropriate measurement conditions in multi-metal systems is involved, and simultaneous multi-metal determination by a single adsorptive stripping measurement is only feasible under rather restrictive conditions. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.