What is an electrochemical cell that generates electrical energy?
1 Answer
An electrochemical cell is a device that uses two electrodes to carry out electron-transfer reactions that force electrons to travel on a wire that can be used as a source of electrical energy.
Electrochemical reactions always involve the transfer of electrons between reactants to lower the overall energy of a system.
In electrochemical cells, the oxidation (electron-generating) and reduction (electron-consuming) reactions take place at electrodes in physically separate containers.
In the diagram below, the electrons are transferred between the electrodes along a wire, which allows the device to be the source of electrical energy to power a load (e.g., a motor or other electrical device).
