Electrolytic cell

An electrochemical cell that uses an external electrical source to drive a nonspontaneous chemical reaction. Its anode is positive and its cathode is negative during operation.

Electrolysis: The use of electric current to drive a chemical reaction that would not occur spontaneously. The cell is the apparatus in which electrolysis takes place.
Oxidation-reduction reaction: A chemical reaction in which electrons are transferred between species. Electrolysis separates oxidation and reduction into reactions at different electrodes.
Electroplating: The deposition of a metal coating onto an object by electrolysis. An electrolytic cell reduces dissolved metal ions onto the object serving as the cathode.
Galvanic cell: An electrochemical cell that produces electrical energy from a spontaneous redox reaction. It converts chemical energy to electrical energy, opposite to an electrolytic cell's energy flow.
Anode: The electrode at which oxidation occurs in an electrochemical cell. The power supply removes electrons from the positive anode, where oxidation occurs.
Electrode potential: The electric potential associated with an electrode's tendency to gain or lose electrons in a redox couple. Electrode potentials determine the minimum voltage needed to drive the cell reaction.
Electrowinning: The recovery of metals from solution by depositing them at a cathode through electrolysis. It uses electrolytic cells to produce metals from leach solutions.
Concentration cell: An electrochemical cell whose voltage arises from a difference in concentration between otherwise similar half-cells. It generates voltage spontaneously from a concentration gradient rather than requiring an external source.
Cathode: The electrode at which reduction occurs in an electrochemical cell. The power supply supplies electrons to the negative cathode, where reduction occurs.
Electrical potential difference: The difference in electric potential between two points, equal to energy transferred per unit charge. The external source supplies a potential difference that pushes the reaction against its spontaneous direction.

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