electrolytic cell

American  

noun

1. cell.

---

electrolytic cell British  

noun

1. Sometimes shortened to: cell.  any device in which electrolysis occurs

---

electrolytic cell Scientific  

1. A device that contains two electrodes in contact with an electrolyte and that brings about a chemical reaction when connected to an outside source of electricity. The electrodes are made of metal or carbon, and when connected to direct current, one electrode becomes positively charged, and the other becomes negatively charged. This initiates the movement of ions in the electrolyte toward the electrodes: positive ions move toward the negative electrode and negative ions move toward the positive electrode. A chemical reaction then takes place at each electrode, with ions changing from positive to negative (or vice versa), or becoming neutralized. Electrolytic cells have many practical uses, including the recovery of pure metal from alloys, the plating of one metal with another, and the manufacture of chlorine and sodium hydroxide.

2. Compare voltaic cell

---

Etymology

Origin of electrolytic cell

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

electrolytic cell

If they are placed in an electrolytic cell, dispersed particles will move toward the electrode that carries a charge opposite to their own charge.

From Textbooks ● Feb. 14, 2019

These catalysts typically sit on the cathode, one of two electrodes in an electrolytic cell containing water.

From Science Magazine ● Sep. 10, 2015

The Navy is working on a magical electrolytic cell containing a sodium sulphate solution.

From Time Magazine Archive

Velocity of the Ions.—If the electrolytic cell is divided into two segments by means of a porous diaphragm, we shall find after a time an unequal distribution of the solute on the two sides.

From The Mechanism of Life by Stéphane Leduc

The terms usually apply to conductors leading the current through a liquid or gas, as an electrolytic cell, or vacuum tube.

From Hawkins Electrical Guide, Number One Questions, Answers, & Illustrations, A Progressive Course of Study for Engineers, Electricians, Students and Those Desiring to acquire a Working Knowledge of Electricity and its Applications by Nehemiah Hawkins