Galvanic cell (3D)
About this app
The Daniell cell and any other pairing of Zn, Cu, Ag, Pb, Fe and Mg: electrons run in the wire only, ions through the salt bridge. Close the circuit, lift out the bridge, change the concentration and calculate with the Nernst equation, then run the cell in time-lapse to ΔE = 0. With the electrochemical series, a lens on the electrode and prediction tasks on the negative pole.
With explain mode: an AI tutor walks you through the app, points out what matters in the scene and answers your questions.
What it is about
A galvanic cell obtains electrical energy from a redox reaction whose half-reactions take place in separate places. In the half-cell with the lower potential, metal atoms are oxidised (anode, negative pole); in the other, metal ions are reduced (cathode, positive pole). The cell voltage is the difference of the potentials: ΔE = E(cathode) − E(anode). For the Daniell cell of zinc and copper this is 1.10 V under standard conditions.
What the app shows
Two half-cells stand on the table in 3D, with wire, switch, lamp, voltmeter and salt bridge. Electrons run in the wire only; cations and anions move in the solutions and the bridge. The electrodes visibly change their mass and the blue copper sulfate solution fades. You read E and ΔE from the electrochemical series, and the Nernst calculation is laid out line by line. A lens shows the electrode surface at particle level.
What you can try
Choose Zn, Cu, Ag, Pb, Fe or Mg for each half-cell and change the concentrations. Close the circuit, then lift out the salt bridge: the electron flow stops at once. Let the cell run to ΔE = 0 and compare charge and masses. Build a concentration cell. In the prediction tasks you state the negative pole, the voltage and the charge carriers and get reasoned feedback.
Frequently asked questions
- How does the Daniell cell work?
- Zinc releases electrons and dissolves as Zn²⁺. The electrons flow through the wire to the copper, where Cu²⁺ ions take them up and deposit as copper. The salt bridge balances the charge of the solutions through moving ions. Under standard conditions the voltage is 1.10 V.
- Where is the negative pole of a galvanic cell?
- The negative pole is the half-cell with the lower potential. Oxidation runs there, and the electrode is called the anode. With identical metals, in a concentration cell, it is the side with the more dilute solution.
- Do electrons flow through the salt bridge?
- No. In solution and salt bridge, ions carry the charge; electrons flow through metal only. Anions move to the negative pole, cations to the positive pole. Without the bridge the solutions charge up and the electron flow stops.
- What can I do with the Nernst equation in the app?
- You change the concentration of each half-cell and see at once how E changes by E = E° + (0.059 V / z) · lg c, and with it ΔE. The calculation is in the Nernst panel, and the potentials move along the electrochemical series.
Subject: Chemistry
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