Full electrochemistry lab: build galvanic (voltaic) and electrolytic cells, calculate cell EMF using the Nernst equation, explore Faraday's laws of electrolysis, and simulate corrosion processes.
Electrochemistry connects two of chemistry's biggest ideas — thermodynamics and redox reactions — into a single framework that predicts spontaneity, calculates cell voltage, and quantifies electrolysis. This complete electrochemistry lab walks through galvanic cells, electrolytic cells, and Faraday's law together, covering the full scope of AP Chemistry Unit 9 and IChO electrochemistry.
A galvanic (voltaic) cell harnesses a spontaneous redox reaction to generate electrical current: electrons flow from the anode (oxidation, negative terminal) through an external circuit to the cathode (reduction, positive terminal), with a salt bridge maintaining charge balance. Standard cell potential is calculated as E°cell = E°cathode - E°anode using tabulated standard reduction potentials, and a positive E°cell confirms the reaction is spontaneous as written.
Electrolytic cells run the opposite direction: an external power source forces a non-spontaneous reaction to proceed, and the electrode polarity conventions flip — the anode becomes positive and the cathode negative, the reverse of a galvanic cell. This sign-convention reversal is one of the most commonly missed points on exams, since students often assume anode = negative always holds.
Faraday's laws quantify exactly how much product forms during electrolysis: charge Q = It (current times time), moles of electrons = Q/F (where F = 96,485 C/mol), and mass deposited follows directly from the half-reaction stoichiometry. This is the calculation behind real industrial processes like the Hall-Héroult process for aluminum refining and electroplating.
Corrosion, particularly of iron, is itself a spontaneous electrochemical process — iron acts as the anode, oxygen and water act as the cathode reaction, and understanding this framework explains why sacrificial anodes (zinc coating on galvanized steel) protect iron from rusting.
This simulator lets you build both galvanic and electrolytic cells, calculate EMF from standard potentials, apply Faraday's law to electrolysis problems, and explore corrosion as a real-world application — the complete electrochemistry toolkit in one tool.