Chemistry- ELECTROCHEMICAL CELLS IN DAILY 

LIFE AND ENVIRONMENT 
 
 
Group​ ​417
Teacher: Janeth Salinas
Date:​ ​May 2​nd​ 2020

Anakaren Rodríguez - 1951876

Fatima Arista - 1974689
Hiram Rico - 1963481
Renata Gómez - 1961381
Roberto Camacho - 1961692
Silvia Maycotte - 1945867
 
Introduction 
To understand in a better way this topic, is important to keep in mind some information, in the
area of oxidation-reduction, we saw that this reactions are carried either in our body or in all the
chemical phenomena, on the other hand, we also saw that in redox reactions the exchange or
transfer of electrons is involved. In conclusion, this two topics and the electricity are very
important and common in our life. The science that studies all this, the relationship between
the past topics and electricity when they are together in a process or reaction, is called
electrochemical science.

Something important to this topic is the electrochemical cell which is a device created in the
18th century by Luis Galvani and Alessandro Volta, with the purpose to generate electricity
from a oxidation-redox reaction. The reactions in the device are called electrochemical
reactions. This cells are classified into two types:
- Galvanic or voltaic cells.
- Electrolytic cells.

The first type of cells, may be called batteries because they are devices capable of an electric
current from a spontaneous oxidation-redox reaction.
An example in which this reactions are used is when a bulb or an electric motor are on. The
explanation is that if a reaction is carried out in this type of cells a part of the chemical energy
released changes into electrical energy.

It is also important to keep in mind information about this topic also, the anode is the electrode
in which the oxidation occurs, instead, the cathode is the electrode in which the reduction
occurs.

You may have been wondering, what is an spontaneous / non-spontaneous reaction? Well,
basically, this is a way of naming certain reactions depending on what kind of scenarios they
react to, if they react only by the combination of both (that they don't need an external variable
to react) it is called spontaneous, whereas, unlike what I said, it needs an external factor to
react (like if it is necessary to add voltage), it is called non-spontaneous.
As long as we understand the bases of what electrochemical science is, we are going to talk
about electrolytic cells. According to Salinas, J. et al. (2020) "an electrolytic cell is an
electrochemical cell in which electrical energy is used to drive an unspontaneous oxidation
reduction reaction", what this means is that it is a cell that contains electrical energy that helps
an reaction.

Something important to mention is that we can determine how an spontaneous reaction will
occur, only if we know the activity in a series of metals in an aqueous solution. This is a table
that depending on the position where the metal is, tell us how easily they lose electrons, if they
are metals that lose electrons easily, they are going to be positioned on the top of the list,
while those that do not lose electrons easily are positioned on the bottom. For this reason, the
metal that is at the top is called, the most active metal, while the one that is at the bottom is
considered as the less active.

ELECTROCHEMICAL CELLS AND ITS DIFFERENT TYPES 

An electrochemical cell is a device that can generate electrical energy from the chemical
reactions that occur in it, or use the supplied electrical energy to facilitate chemical reactions in
it. These devices are capable of converting chemical energy into electrical energy, or vice versa

➔ Galvanic cells: ​devices capable of generating and electric current from a spontaneous
chemical reaction of oxidation-reduction. An example of a redox reaction is when a
piece of zinc metal is introduced into a solution of copper sulfate. The Cu​+2 ions are
deposited as metallic Cu on the Zn sheet, and at the same time the Zn dissolves,
transforming into Zn​+2​. If a reaction is carried out in a galvanic cell part of the chemical
energy released is converted into electrical energy. This galvanic cell invented by 1836
by John Frederic Daniell.
 By definition, the electrode on which oxidation occurs is the anode of the cell, and the
electrode on which the reduction takes place is the cathode. As the electrons leave the
anode, the anode is given a negative sign and, on the contrary, the cathode is given a
positive sign because it seems to attract negative electrons

➔ Electrolytic cells: ​is an electrochemical cell in which electrical energy is used to drive a
non-spontaneous oxidation-reduction reaction. We can determine the direction of a
spontaneous reaction form the activity in a series of metals and H​2​. Metals that lose
electrons more easily are placed on top, and metals which don’t lose electrons easily
are at the bottom. The metal that loses electrons most easily is called the most active
metal. A metal that loses electrons with difficulty is considered less active.
One of the best-known electrolytic processes is the decomposition of water into its
elements.

Voltaic Cell Electrolytic Cell

The redox reaction is spontaneous The redox reaction is not spontaneous

The chemical reaction produces an electric Electric current produces a chemical reaction
current

The anode is the negative pole The anode is the positive pole

The cathode is the positive pole The cathode is the negative pole

There are two electrolytes There is only one electrolyte

Applications of the oxidation-reduction process of the electrochemical cells in 
daily life and the environment 
 
Industry Applications: 
As we know there are different types of electrochemical cells, and each one of them
has different applications in industry. The electrolytic cell is the most common used
electrochemical cell for industry, electrolytic cells are used for electroplating, which is a
process in which an electrically conductive object is covered in a layer of metal using electrical
current. Electroplating is sometimes used to provide a metal with particular properties, such as
corrosion protection and wear and abrasion resistance. It is also used for aesthetic reasons in
jewelry production.
All major metal-working industries, particularly the automobile industry, count with
large electroplating plants. When electroplating is on a large scale, it is called electrorefining,
sometimes named electrowinning. Coppes plays a very important role in the electricity
industry since its a very conductive metal, however it also includes a problem, after all in order
to work at its best as a conductor it needs to be pure. One of the methods used to purify
copper is electrorefining. Electrolytic cells are also used for the production of high-purity lead,
zinc, aluminium, and the extraction of metallic sodium from molten sodium chloride.
Other type of electrochemical cells used in industry, are the galvanic and fuel cells.
Both cells are key components for nowadays batteries. As the electricity that is going to be
stored is received by the plates of the respective cell, it converts substances on the plates, to
new substances with higher energy than the old ones. When it is desired to make electricity
available again, ther terminals of the battery connect to the load and the substances on the
battery plates convert themselves to those originally present, releasing electricity as a product
of their electrochemical reactions. Other electrochemical systems are used for storage. The
Edison cell (nickel-iron), and nickel-cadmium battery with alkaline electrolyte are both used in
situations where longer duration than lead-acid batteries is needed.
Fuel cells in addition to being used for batteries, they are also used to convert chemical
reactions into electrical energy. The efficiency of energy conversion of fuel cells is more than
twice attainable than those of conventional means, such as internal combustion. Therefore
fuel cells are used as a source of clean energy in several remote locations.  
 
biological applications: 
Electrochemical energy is produced in every cell of every plant and animal. An animal’s
nervous system sends its signals by means of electrochemical reactions. Virtually every
electrochemical process and its technological application has a role in modern medicine.
In biology the idea that many biological processes, from blood clotting to the transfer of nerve
impulses, are electrochemical in nature continues to spread. The biological conversion of the
chemical energy of food to mechanical energy takes place at an efficiency so high that it is
difficult to explain without electrochemical mechanisms. Intensive research is developing in
various directions in bioelectrochemistry.

ATP and the energy of life

ATP is the basic source of energy for all living beings. It is made in the Krebs cycle, a series of
cellular chemical reactions discovered by Hans Krebs in the 1930s. Each cell of a plant or
animal uses glucose (a kind of sugar) to produce a difference in electrical charge across a
membrane. This difference then drives the machinery that makes ATP.

Electrochemical technology at work in the body

This century’s technological advances have brought electrochemistry into the body in a new
way. In the 1950s heart patients pushed their pacemakers around on carts. Now surgeons can
put pacemakers inside the patient’s chest. Today transistors and microchips reduce the size of
implantable electronic devices, long-lasting batteries power them, and inert materials like
titanium and non-crystalline metals resist electrochemical reactions inside the body.
Semiconductor technology has become commonplace in medicine. Cochlear implants use
computer technology to stimulate the auditory nerve directly, enabling some completely deaf
people to hear. Computers help doctors analyze complex numerical data, such as the readout
from an EEG. In a CAT scan a computer manipulates an X-ray image to enable doctors to see
soft tissue like the brain. In medicine, as in so many areas, electrochemistry has revolutionized
our lives.

Conclusion 
This research let us know more information related with this stage, because we
investigated more about things we see in class. Before we make this research we
investigated information we know will help us to understand our research.
Fore everyone this was an opportunity to learn more thing like: the different types
of Electrochemical cells or the applications of the oxidation-reduction process of
the electrochemical cells in our daily life. We consider our findings very important
and now we know more about this topics.
References 
Monsivais, D.., Morales, G., Rodriguez, V., & Salinas, J.. (2020). Selected Topics
of Chemistry. Monterrey, Nuevo Leon: PATRIA educacion.

Electrochemistry and Medicine. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.electrochem.org/biology-medicine

Despić, A. R., & Bockris, J. O. M. (2011, December 15). Applications. Retrieved

from ​https://www.britannica.com/science/electrochemical-reaction/Applications

Admin. (2020, February 18). Electrochemical Cell - Definition, Description, Types,

Applications. Retrieved May 02, 2020, from
https://byjus.com/chemistry/electrochemical-cell/

Applications Of Electrochemistry | Electrochemical ... (n.d.). Retrieved May 2,

2020, from
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