Term | Definition |
electrochemistry | the branch of chemistry that deals with the relationships between electricity and chemical reactions |
reducing agent (reductant) | the substance that is oxidized and thereby causes the reduction of some other substance in an oxidation reduction reaction |
oxidizing agent (oxidant) | the substance that is reduced and thereby causes the oxidation of some other substance in an oxidation reduction reaction |
half-reactions | an equation for either a oxidation or a reduction that explicitly shows the electrons involved |
voltaic (galvanic) cell | a device in which a spontaneous oxidation-reduction reaction occurs with the passage of electrons through an external circuit |
anode | an electrode at which oxidation occurs |
cathode | an electrode at which reduction occurs |
electromotive force (emf) | a measure of the driving force, or electrical pressure, for the completion of an electrochemical reaction. also called the cell potential |
cell potential (E sub cell) | a measure of the driving force, or electrical pressure, for an electrochemical reaction. also called electromotive force |
standard emf (standard cell potential, E knot sub cell) | the emf of a cell when all reagents are at standard conditions |
standard reduction potential (E knot sub red) | the potential of a reduction half-reaction under standard conditions, measured relative to the standard hydrogen electrode. also called standard electrode potential |
standard hydrogen electrode (she) | an electrode based on the half-reaction 2H+(1M) + 2e- --> H2(1atm). the standard electrode potential of the standard hydrogen electrode is defended as 0V |
faraday | a unit of charge that equals the total charge of one mole of electrons: 1F = 96,500C |
nernst equation | an equation that relates the cell emf, E, to the standard emf, E knot, and the reaction quotient |
concentration cell | a voltaic cell containing the same electrolyte and the same electrode materials in both the anode and cathode compartments. the emf of the cell is derived form a difference in the concentrations of the same electrolyte solutions in the comportments |
battery | a self-contained electrochemical power source that contains one or more voltaic cells |
fuel cell | a voltaic cell the utilizes the oxidation of a conventional fuel |
corrosion | the process by which a metal is oxidized by a sharing of electrons |
cathodic protection | a means of protecting a metal against corrosion by making it the cathode in a voltaic cell. |
electrolysis reaction | a reaction in which a non spontaneous redox reaction is brought about by the passage of current under a sufficient external electrical potential. the devices in which electrolysis reactions occur are called electrolytic cells |
electrolytic cell | a device in which a non spontaneous oxidation-reduction reaction is caused to occur by passage of current under a sufficient external electrical potential |
watt | a unit of power
1W = 1 J/s |