 |
This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2008) |
The Copper-copper(II) sulfate electrode is a type of reference electrode, based on the redox reaction with participation of the metal (copper) and its salt - copper(II) sulfate. It is used for measuring electrochemical potential and is the most commonly used reference electrode for testing cathodic protection corrosion control systems.
The corresponding equation can be presented as follow:
- Cu2+ + 2e- → Cu0(metal)
This reaction characterized by fast electrode kinetics, meaning that a sufficiently high current can be passed through the electrode with the 100% efficiency of the redox reaction (dissolution of the metal or cathodic deposition of the copper-ions).
The Nernst equation below shows the dependence of the potential of the copper-copper(II) sulfate electrode on the activity or concentration copper-ions:
Commercial reference electrodes consist of a plastic tube holding the copper rod and saturated solution of copper sulfate. A porous plug on one end allows contact with the copper sulfate electrolyte. The copper rod protrudes out of the tube. A voltmeter negative lead is connected to the copper rod.
The potential of a copper copper sulfate electrode is +0.314 volt with respect to the standard hydrogen electrode.
Applications
- Copper coulometer
- Copper-copper(II) sulfate electrode is also used as a one of the half cell in the Daniel-Jakobi galvanic cell.
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
