The time to failure of a compound exhibiting dynamic scattering, operated under dc excitation, is shown to be inversely proportional to current density. Two failure modes have been observed, both related to an anodic electrochemical reaction. Failure occurs in the compoundp‐methoxybenzylidene‐p′‐amino phenyl acetate (APAPA) after the passage of 1.2 × 106C/mole through the operating cell. The quantity of charge passed through, in C/mole of cell material, is recommended as a figure of merit for materials which fail due to electrochemical processes.