active electrode | electrode that participates as a reactant or product in the oxidation-reduction reaction of an electrochemical cell; the mass of an active electrode changes during the oxidation-reduction reaction | | | | |
alkaline battery | primary battery similar to a dry cell that uses an alkaline (often potassium hydroxide) electrolyte; designed to be an improved replacement for the dry cell, but with more energy storage and less electrolyte leakage than typical dry cell | | | | |
anode | electrode in an electrochemical cell at which oxidation occurs | | | | |
battery | single or series of galvanic cells designed for use as a source of electrical power | | | | |
cathode | electrode in an electrochemical cell at which reduction occurs | | | | |
cathodic protection | approach to preventing corrosion of a metal object by connecting it to a sacrificial anode composed of a more readily oxidized metal | | | | |
cell notation (schematic) | symbolic representation of the components and reactions in an electrochemical cell | | | | |
cell potential (Ecell) | difference in potential of the cathode and anode half-cells | | | | |
concentration cell | galvanic cell comprising half-cells of identical composition but for the concentration of one redox reactant or product | | | | |
corrosion | degradation of metal via a natural electrochemical process | | | | |
dry cell | primary battery, also called a zinc-carbon battery, based on the spontaneous oxidation of zinc by manganese(IV) | | | | |
electrode potential (EX) | the potential of a cell in which the half-cell of interest acts as a cathode when connected to the standard hydrogen electrode | | | | |
electrolysis | process using electrical energy to cause a nonspontaneous process to occur | | | | |
electrolytic cell | electrochemical cell in which an external source of electrical power is used to drive an otherwise nonspontaneous process | | | | |
Faraday’s constant (F) | charge on 1 mol of electrons; F = 96,485 C/mol e− | | | | |
fuel cell | devices similar to galvanic cells that require a continuous feed of redox reactants; also called a flow battery | | | | |
galvanic (voltaic) cell | electrochemical cell in which a spontaneous redox reaction takes place; also called a voltaic cell | | | | |
galvanization | method of protecting iron or similar metals from corrosion by coating with a thin layer of more easily oxidized zinc. | | | | |
half cell | component of a cell that contains the redox conjugate pair (“couple”) of a single reactant | | | | |
inert electrode | electrode that conducts electrons to and from the reactants in a half-cell but that is not itself oxidized or reduced | | | | |
lead acid battery | rechargeable battery commonly used in automobiles; it typically comprises six galvanic cells based on Pb half-reactions in acidic solution | | | | |
lithium ion battery | widely used rechargeable battery commonly used in portable electronic devices, based on lithium ion transfer between the anode and cathode | | | | |
Nernst equation | relating the potential of a redox system to its composition | | | | |
nickel-cadmium battery | rechargeable battery based on Ni/Cd half-cells with applications similar to those of lithium ion batteries | | | | |
primary cell | nonrechargeable battery, suitable for single use only | | | | |
sacrificial anode | electrode constructed from an easily oxidized metal, often magnesium or zinc, used to prevent corrosion of metal objects via cathodic protection | | | | |
salt bridge | tube filled with inert electrolyte solution | | | | |
secondary cell | battery designed to allow recharging | | | | |
standard cell potential | the cell potential when all reactants and products are in their standard states (1 bar or 1 atm or gases; 1 M for solutes), usually at 298.15 K | | | | |
standard electrode potential () | electrode potential measured under standard conditions (1 bar or 1 atm for gases; 1 M for solutes) usually at 298.15 K | | | | |
standard hydrogen electrode (SHE) | half-cell based on hydrogen ion production, assigned a potential of exactly 0 V under standard state conditions, used as the universal reference for measuring electrode potential | | | | |