Electrochemistry
English chemists John Daniell (left) and Mi-
chael Faraday (right), both credited as
founders of electrochemistry today.
Electrochemistry is a branch of chemistry
that studies chemical reactions which take
place in a solution at the interface of an elec-
tron conductor (a metal or a semiconductor)
and an ionic conductor (the electrolyte), and
which involve electron transfer between the
electrode and the electrolyte or species in
solution.
If a chemical reaction is driven by an ex-
ternal applied voltage, as in electrolysis, or if
a voltage is created by a chemical reaction as
in a battery, it is an electrochemical reaction.
Chemical
reactions where electrons are
transferred between molecules are called ox-
idation/reduction (redox) reactions. In gener-
al, electrochemistry deals with situations
where oxidation and reduction reactions are
separated in space or time, connected by an
external electric circuit to understand each
process.
History
16th to 18th century
developments
German physicist Otto von Guericke beside
his electrical generator while conducting an
experiment.
The 16th century marked the beginning of
electrical understanding. During that century
the English scientist William Gilbert spent 17
years experimenting with magnetism and, to
a lesser extent, electricity. For his work on
magnets, Gilbert became known as the "Fath-
er of Magnetism." He discovered various
methods for producing and strengthening
magnets.
In 1663 the German physicist Otto von Gu-
ericke created the first electric generator,
which produced static electricity by applying
friction in the machine. The generator was
made of a large sulfur ball cast inside a glass
globe, mounted on a shaft. The ball was ro-
tated by means of a crank and a static elec-
tric spark was produced when a pad was
rubbed against the ball as it rotated. The
globe could be removed and used as source
for experiments with electricity.
By the mid—18th century the French
chemist Charles François de Cisternay du
Fay discovered two types of static elec