half cell
Noun
Meaning
English Wikipedia has an article on:half cellWikipedia
half cell (plural half cells)
(physics, chemistry) Either of the two parts of an electrochemical cell containing an electrode and an electrolyte.
half-cell (plural half-cells)
Alternative spelling of half cell
Alternative names
half-cell
Examples
Cell potential The cell potential can be predicted through the use of electrode potentials (the voltages of each half-cell).
In a full electrochemical cell, species from one half-cell lose electrons ( oxidation ) to their electrode while species from the other half-cell gain electrons ( reduction ) from their electrode.
The half-cell reactions at the electrodes are constrained if no current is allowed to flow.
Various choices of substances for each half-cell give different potential differences.