The fundamental reaction in electrochemistry is the redox, reduction-oxidation, reaction. The oxidizing agent gains electrons in the reduction half-reaction while the reducing agent loses electrons in the oxidation half-reaction.
An electrolytic cell is composed of a reaction chamber containing an electrolyte solution, two electrodes, and an external circuit connected to a power source.
The oxidation reaction occurs at the anode, while the reduction reaction occurs at the cathode. This can be remembered using the phrase “Red cat”: Reduction occurs at the cathode.
Electroplating is an application of the electrolytic cell. In electroplating, a metal anode is used to plate ions on the surface of a cathode, which is composed of a different material than the anode.
A higher concentration of metal ions in solution, a higher applied current, and a longer plating time all increase the thickness of the plated metal on the cathode.
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