Electrochemistry Vocab/Equations🪫

Ampere (A)

Ampere (A)

A unit of electrical current; 1 A=1 C/s

Anode

The electrode at which the oxidation half-reaction occurs

Cathode

The electrode at which the reduction of a half-reaction occurs

Catholic Protection

Protecting a metal structure by creating an electrochemical cell in which a more active mental is the anode and the metal structure that needs to be protected in the cathode

Concentration Cell

An electrochemical cell in which the half-cells undergo the same reaction but differ in ion concentrations, thus leading to a spontaneous reaction

Corrosion

The oxidation of a metal object in soil or water that is accelerated by the unintentional formation of a voltaic cell

Coulomb; C

A unit of charge; 1C= 1J/V

Disproportionation

A reaction in which one reactant acts as both the oxidizing and reducing agent

Dry Cell

A sealed voltaic cell containing the mobile ions in a paste or gel form rather than analogues solution; aka a battery

Electrical Circuit

The circular connection for the free flow of electrons and ions

Electrochemical Cell

A system composed of two half-cells connected by a salt bridge and a wire, allowing electron transfer

Electrochemistry

The study of the relationship between electricity and chemistry

Electrode

A half-cell in an electrochemical cell; sometimes it requires an inert wire or carbon rod to make electrical connection to the half-cell

Electrolysis

The process of applying an electrical to a cell to cause a non-spontaneous reaction to occur

Electrolytic cell

An electrochemical cell in which an electrical current is used to cause a nonspontaneous reaction to occur

Electroplating

The process of using an electrical current to cause a protective or cosmetic layer of metal to form on the surface of a metal object

Electrorefining

The process of using an electrical current to remove impurities from a metal sample

SHE

Standard hydrogen electrode

Faraday Constant (F)

The charge, in coulombs, of a mole of electrons; F=96,485 C/mol

Fuel cell

A voltaic cell with continuous inflow or fuel (typically hydrogen) and outflow of products (typically H2O) used to generate electricity

Half-Cell

One section of an electrochemical cell in which either the oxidation our the reduction reaction occurs

Half-Reaction

A chemical equation for just the oxidation or reduction component of a redox reaction

Ion-Selective Electrode

An electrochemical probe that works like concentration cells to measure the concentration of specific ions

Negative electrode

The anode in a voltaic cell; the cathode in an electrolytic cell

Nernst Equation

The equation used to calculate cell potential under nonstandard conditions

Positive electrode

The cathode in a voltaic cell; the anode in an electrolytic cell

Potential (E)

The tendency of an electrochemical reaction or half-cell to proceed

Sacrificial Anode

A more active metal that is purposely allowed to be oxidized to prevent corrosion of a metal structure

Salt Bridge

The physical connection between half-cells in both voltaic and electrolytic cells that allows for movement of ions to complete the electrical circuiyt

Standard Reduction Potential (SHE)

The voltage of a half-reaction under standard conditions measured against the standard hydrogen electrode

Standard reduction potential

The voltage of a half-reaction under standard conditions measured against the standard hydrogen electrode

Volt (V)

The unit used to measure electrical potential; 1 V=1 J/C

Voltaic Cell

An electrochemical cell in which a spontaneous redox reaction is used to create an electrical current