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electrolytic cell[i′lek·trə‚lid·ik ′sel]
a vessel containing an electrolyte (or electrolytes) and equipped with electrodes and used for performing electrochemical reactions.
The basic structural elements of industrial electrolyzers, electrolytic cells are also used by themselves, primarily in laboratory work to study electrode processes, perform electroanalytical measurements, and produce and purify compounds by electrolysis. Electrolytic cells vary considerably in design. In electrochemical work, electrolytic cells with three electrodes are ordinarily used: a working electrode, an auxiliary electrode, and a reference electrode. Complex electrolytic cells may also contain indicator electrodes. Special electrolytic cells must meet additional requirements; for example, they must provide for the possibility of conducting electrochemical studies in combination with other methods of physicochemical research.
Electrolytic cells are also used in physical modeling; in particular, they are used to construct models of the electric field of electronic devices, such as electron tubes.
A. N. CHEMODANOV