Using chemical reactions to produce electricity is now a priority for many researchers. Being able to adequately use chemical reactions as a source of power would greatly help our environmental pollution problems. To be able to produce this electricity we must know about the flow of electrical charges and electrons. This is where electrochemical cells come in.

1. Introduction
2. Outside links
3. References
4. Problems
5. Contributors

Introduction

An electrochemical cell is a "properly connected combination of two-half cells." A half-cell is an electrode, a strip of metal M, in a solution containing ions of that same metal, Mⁿ⁺. This electrochemical cell device is used to run a reduction/oxidation reaction between two metals. This process involves electric current and the flow of electrons through a circuit.

There are two types of electrochemical cells:

Galvanic: A spontaneous reaction generating an electric current. i.e. Batteries.

Electrolytic: An outside current needs to be applied to run the reaction. (non-spontaneous) i.e. rechargeable batteries.

These cells contain many parts to complete it:

Two electrodes: Anode (oxidation) and the Cathode (reduction)
Volt meter: controls the electric current (for an electrolytic cell)
Electrolyte
- conducting medium
- has contact with electrodes
- usually in aqueous solution of ionic compounds
Salt Bridge
- joins the two halves of the electrochemical cell
- filled with a salf solution or gel
- kepps the solution seperate
- Completes the circuit

Example of Galvanic cell:

Example of Electrolytic cell:

Outside links

References

Kent, Doug. "Ch. 20 Electrochemistry." Chemistry 2C Workshop. University of California, Davis, 1 October 2008.
Petrucci, Harwood, Herring, and Madura. General Chemistry: Principles and Modern Applications: Ninth Edition. New Jersey: Pearson, 2007.

Problems

Contributors

Retrieved from "http://chemwiki.ucdavis.edu/Analytical_Chemistry/Electrochemistry/Voltaic_Cells/Electrochemical_Cell_Conventions"

Tags:

Edit tags

Attach file or image

Files (0)

Images (4)

Viewing 1 - 4 of 4 images | View All

electrolytic cell
img6_elec... Actions

galvanic cell
img4_galv... Actions

electrochemical cell
img4_elec... Actions

cell diagram
img5_cell... Actions

Comments (8)

Viewing 8 of 8 comments: view all

Skender Najibi says:

I really like what you have so far, especially your images because they are simple yet have all the essentials. I would recomend talking a little more iabout the content you are going to address in the rest of the page in your introduction, just to give the reader a glimpse as to what they will be able to find. Also maybe giving a brief history of the origin of the electrochemical cell would be nice. Finally when you post your practice problems, I recommend having a section in the page where you actually go over how to do them, possibly an external link. edited 22:27, 2 Dec 2008

Posted 22:26, 2 Dec 2008

Vi Nguyen says:

You have done an excellent job so far. You somewhat thoroughly explained your topic and I get the gist of it. What makes your page very good is your use of pictures. This helped me a lot into understanding your topic. What you should do is ask some practice problems to see if your readers have actually understood the topic.

Posted 23:05, 2 Dec 2008

Harpreet Sihota says:

Those are very nice images that you have created. I would sugges to expand the introduction, maybe to include more properties of electrochemical cells & relation to the real world (batteries). I would also expand more on such concepts like the salt bridge (what it does, etc.) Also, hyperlink to other Chem2C "electrochemistry" modules so readers can have another source for extra information. Other than that, this is a good base for your module.

Posted 17:35, 3 Dec 2008

Leah Hughes says:

Excellent drawings but you don't explain them. What's the difference between the two. Write out the equations, how the cation and anion charges differ, etc.
Keep going - this is a difficult topic for many and you've done a good job simplifying it but it's almost TOO simply, we need to see HOW they are different

Posted 15:57, 4 Dec 2008

Leah Hughes says:

I also suggest you find a link that's more reliable source than wikipedia. Look for a link that allows you to practice doing these equations - there are many interactive ones out there. Also, this topic allows for a multitude of practice questions and problems!!

Posted 15:58, 4 Dec 2008

Naeem Ahmad says:

The pictures are great, they really help make electrochemistry much easier to understand, i think a bit more detail would help, other wise a good start.

Posted 10:26, 5 Dec 2008

Jun Ohata says:

There are some few spelling errors but so far looks good. You can link up with the galvanic cell and electrolytic cell. Practice problems would also be good.

Posted 11:14, 5 Dec 2008

Mimi Lee says:

Those are very neat drawings of concentration cells. I like how you broke down the different parts of a concentration cell (electrode, salt bridge, etc) to explain the importance and significane of each. It would be helpful if you could provide the readers with examples of how to draw a concentration cells and what steps to go about to which out the cell diagram-- that would be very nice and descriptive.

Like other commentors, read over your module for typos.

Doing great so far, keep it up!

Posted 23:01, 5 Dec 2008

Viewing 8 of 8 comments: view all

You must login to post a comment.

Electrochemical Cell Conventions

From $1

Table of contents