Standard electrode potential to produce an electric potential, Gibbs free energy Δ"G"° must be negative, in accordance with the following equation: where "n" is number of moles of electrons per mole of products and "F" is the Faraday constant, ~96485 C/mol. As such, the following rules apply: Thus in order to have a spontaneous reaction (ΔG° < 0), "E"° must be positive, where: where "E"° is the standard potential at the anode and "E"° is the standard potential at the cathode as given in the table of standard electrode potential. Standard electrode potential In electrochemistry, it is defined as the measure of the
Electrolytic cell and an anode). The electrolyte is usually a solution of water or other solvents in which ions are dissolved. Molten salts such as sodium chloride are also electrolytes. When driven by an external voltage applied to the electrodes, the ions in the electrolyte are attracted to an electrode with the opposite charge, where charge-transferring (also called faradaic or redox) reactions can take place. Only with an external electrical potential (i.e. voltage) of correct polarity and sufficient magnitude can an electrolytic cell decompose a normally stable, or inert chemical compound in the solution. The electrical energy provided can produce a chemical