Electrolytic cell reaction which would not occur spontaneously otherwise. A galvanic cell can be considered an electrolytic cell acting in reverse. While electrolytic cells convert electrical energy into chemical energy, galvanic cells convert chemical energy into electrical energy. Galvanic cells are often used in batteries. Michael Faraday defined the cathode of a cell as the electrode to which cations (positively charged ions, like silver ions Ag) flow within the cell, to be reduced by reacting with electrons (negatively charged) from that electrode. Likewise he defined the anode as the electrode to which anions (negatively charged ions, like chloride ions Cl) flow within
Plate electrode tube envelope and is cooled by radiation cooling, forced air or water. A problem in early vacuum tubes was "secondary emission"; electrons striking the plate could knock other electrons out of the metal surface. In some tubes such as tetrodes these "secondary electrons" could be absorbed by other electrods such as grids in the tube, resulting in a current out of the plate. This current could cause the plate circuit to have negative resistance, which could cause unwanted parasitic oscillations. To prevent this most plates in modern tubes are given a chemical coating which reduces secondary emission. Plate electrode A