Standard Electrodes
What is Standard Electrodes?
Standard electrodes are half-cells in which all species are in their standard states (unit activity, 1 M for solutions, 1 atm for gases) and the electrode potential is measured relative to the standard hydrogen electrode (SHE), which is assigned a potential of 0.000 V by convention. The standard electrode potentials (E°) of various half-reactions are tabulated and used to calculate the standard cell potential for galvanic cells and to predict the spontaneity of redox reactions. The standard hydrogen electrode consists of a platinum electrode in contact with H₂ gas (1 atm) and 1 M H⁺ solution.
Key Facts
Frequently Asked Questions
Standard electrodes are half-cells in which all species are in their standard states (unit activity, 1 M for solutions, 1 atm for gases) and the electrode potential is measured relative to the standard hydrogen electrode (SHE), which is assigned a potential of 0.000 V by convention. The standard electrode potentials (E°) of various half-reactions are tabulated and used to calculate the standard cell potential for galvanic cells and to predict the spontaneity of redox reactions. The standard hydrogen electrode consists of a platinum electrode in contact with H₂ gas (1 atm) and 1 M H⁺ solution.