Question

An electrolytic cell is composed of a wire, containing a power source, in contact with an electrolyte via two solid parts called electrodes. Name these two electrodes and give their overall charge.

Answer 1

The two electrodes in an electrolytic cell are the cathode, which gains electrons and has a negative charge, and the anode, which loses electrons and has a positive charge.

Step-by-step explanation:

An electrolytic cell consists of a power source connected to two solid metal parts known as electrodes which come into contact with an electrolyte. These two electrodes are the cathode and the anode.

The cathode is the electrode where reduction occurs and electrons are gained, thus it usually has a negative overall charge in an electrolytic cell. Conversely, the anode is where oxidation takes place and electrons are lost, and it typically has a positive overall charge in an electrolytic cell.

It's important to note that in galvanic cells, the charges of the anode and cathode are reversed; the anode is negative and the cathode is positive because they operate on spontaneous redox reactions as opposed to the nonspontaneous reactions of electrolytic cells which require an external power source.

In electroplating, the object that is to be coated with metal, is made the cathode, which will gain the metal ions that are reduced on its surface. An electric current is a flow of charged particles which, in this case, is used to drive the nonspontaneous chemical reaction.