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Lecture

Electrochemistry: Redox Reactions and Cell Potentials

In course

MSE-101(a): Materials:from chemistry to properties

Ce cours permet l'acquisition des notions essentielles relatives à la structure de la matière, aux équilibres et à la réactivité chimique en liaison avec les propriétés mécaniques, thermiques, électriques et magnétiques des matériaux. ...

Description

This lecture introduces the fundamentals of electrochemistry, focusing on redox reactions, cell potentials, and electrochemical cells. Topics include galvanic cells, electromotive force, standard potentials, electrolysis, corrosion, and protection methods. The instructor discusses the principles behind spontaneous reactions, cell components, and the relationship between standard potentials and equilibrium constants.

Instructor

Véronique Michaud

Background: 1994 Habilitation à diriger des recherches ( INPG, France) 1991 PhD in Materials Engineering ( MIT, USA) 1987 Ingénieur Civil des Mines ( Ecole des Mines de Paris, France) Activities: Since January 2018: Associate Dean of Engineering, in charge of Education June 2012-Dec.2017: Head of the Materials Science and Engineering Section Since April 2017: Associate Professor at EPFL 2009-2017 : Professeur Titulaire at EPFL 1997-2009: Researcher at EPFL 1994-1997 : Chef de Travaux au laboratoire MSS-MAT, Ecole Centrale Paris (France) 1991-1994 : Post-doctoral research associate, MIT (USA) Author of about 300 publications of which 140 in peer-reviewed journals

Official source

Ontological neighbourhood

Chemistry

Physical chemistry: Electrochemistry

Related concepts (32)

Standard electrode potential

In electrochemistry, standard electrode potential , or , is a measure of the reducing power of any element or compound. The IUPAC "Gold Book" defines it as: "the value of the standard emf (electromotive force) of a cell in which molecular hydrogen under standard pressure is oxidized to solvated protons at the left-hand electrode". The basis for an electrochemical cell, such as the galvanic cell, is always a redox reaction which can be broken down into two half-reactions: oxidation at anode (loss of electron) and reduction at cathode (gain of electron).

Reduction potential

Redox potential (also known as oxidation / reduction potential, ORP, pe, , or ) is a measure of the tendency of a chemical species to acquire electrons from or lose electrons to an electrode and thereby be reduced or oxidised respectively. Redox potential is expressed in volts (V). Each species has its own intrinsic redox potential; for example, the more positive the reduction potential (reduction potential is more often used due to general formalism in electrochemistry), the greater the species' affinity for electrons and tendency to be reduced.

Galvanic cell

A galvanic cell or voltaic cell, named after the scientists Luigi Galvani and Alessandro Volta, respectively, is an electrochemical cell in which an electric current is generated from spontaneous Oxidation-Reduction reactions. A common apparatus generally consists of two different metals, each immersed in separate beakers containing their respective metal ions in solution that are connected by a salt bridge or separated by a porous membrane. Volta was the inventor of the voltaic pile, the first electrical battery.

Electrode potential

In electrochemistry, electrode potential is the electromotive force of a galvanic cell built from a standard reference electrode and another electrode to be characterized. By convention, the reference electrode is the standard hydrogen electrode (SHE). It is defined to have a potential of zero volts. It may also be defined as the potential difference between the charged metallic rods and salt solution. The electrode potential has its origin in the potential difference developed at the interface between the electrode and the electrolyte.

Redox

Redox (ˈrɛdɒks , ˈriːdɒks , reduction–oxidation or oxidation–reduction) is a type of chemical reaction in which the oxidation states of substrate change. Oxidation is the loss of electrons or an increase in the oxidation state, while reduction is the gain of electrons or a decrease in the oxidation state. There are two classes of redox reactions: Electron-transfer – Only one (usually) electron flows from the atom being oxidized to the atom that is reduced. This type of redox reaction is often discussed in terms of redox couples and electrode potentials.

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