Crossing the bridge between thermodynamics and electrochemistry. From the potential of the cell reaction to the electrode potential

Abstract

Thermodynamics plays a similar role in physical chemistry like mathematics in science, however, the inherent link between thermodynamics and electrochemistry is not entirely obvious. Less attention is paid to such physical quantities as pressure, volume, enthalpy, chemical potential etc. in electrochemistry; on the other hand new quantities (charge, current, electric potential etc.) and terms (galvanic cell. electrode, ion etc.) appear. It is the main goal of this lecture to present a systematic thermodynamical treatment regarding the electrochemical cells; and to give the definitions accepted presently for physical quantities, e.g., potential of the cell reaction, electrode potential, electrochemical potential as well as terms such as electrode.