Political Science 1020E Lecture Notes - Lecture 18: Graph Paper, Electrochemical Cell, Voltmeter
2 Oct 2016
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Document Summary
Count allessandro volta (1745 - 1827) was an italian scientist who designed the first electrochemical cell. An electrochemical cell is one in which a spontaneous chemical reaction produces electrical energy. Volta"s cell was the first to produce a steady flow of electric current. Until his discovery, all electrical experiments used electrostatic charges produced by friction. Since the static discharge happened very quickly experiments were difficult to perform. Volta"s discovery was immediately recognized as a major break-through by other scientists. The charge build up at the electrodes of an electrochemical cell create a potential difference between the electrodes. The external cathode (negative pole) on a cell is the anode inside the cell. The internal anode accumulates electrons from the chemical reaction. Anions (negatively charged ions) travel to the anode where they release their electrons. The external anode (positive pole) on a cell is the cathode inside the cell. The internal cathode gives electrons away in the chemical reaction.
