Electrochemistry is the study of the relationship between electricity and chemical reactions. It is primarily concerned with two processes that involve oxidation-reduction reactions:
- the generation of an electric current from a chemical reaction and the opposite process,
- the use of a current to produce chemical change.
At the heart of electrochemistry are the oxidation-reduction reactions. These reactions power batteries that in turn are used in cars, calculators, laptops and in our portable electronic gadgets.
Oxidation is the loss of electrons in a chemical reaction and reduction is the gain of electrons. Oxidation-reduction reactions occur when electrons are tranferred from an atom that is oxidized to an atom that is reduced. Redox reactions are involved not only in the operation of batteries but also in a wide variety of natural processes such as the rusting of iron, the respiration of animals and the browning of foods.
Several introductory topics of electrochemistry are going to be presented here. A list of topics is given in the table above.
References
- D. Harvey, “Modern Analytical Chemistry”, McGraw-Hill Companies Inc., (2000)
- P. Atkins, J. de Paula, “Physical Chemistry”, 9th Edition, W. H. Freeman (2009)
- I. N. Levine, “Physical Chemistry”, 6th Edition, McGraw-Hill (2008)
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