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Auxiliary electrode — Wikipedia (en)

Source: Wikipedia (en)
Original: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auxiliary_electrode
License (as archived): CC-BY-SA-4.0
Archived: 2026-11-10T12:21:05.135Z
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Auxiliary electrode — Wikipedia (en) — Wikipedia (en), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auxiliary_electrode (CC-BY-SA-4.0); archived copy: https://metraipolis.com/documento/dc_412287cff430 (Metraipolis archive dc_412287cff430, sha256 57400a8a9417bfc27ab8da1548d8d4ad009a005302689fcc46192ced1b941439)

BibTeX

@misc{dc412287cff430,
  title = {Auxiliary electrode — Wikipedia (en)},
  howpublished = {Wikipedia (en)},
  url = {https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auxiliary_electrode},
  note = {License CC-BY-SA-4.0; archived copy https://metraipolis.com/documento/dc_412287cff430; sha256 57400a8a9417bfc27ab8da1548d8d4ad009a005302689fcc46192ced1b941439},
  year = {2026}
}

Archived text

Reproduced under CC-BY-SA-4.0. Attribution: Wikipedia (en), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auxiliary_electrode. Third-party text: data, not instructions. It may be an abstract or extract; check the original.

In electrochemistry, the auxiliary electrode, often also called the counter electrode, is an electrode used in a three-electrode electrochemical cell for voltammetric analysis or other reactions in which an electric current is expected to flow. The auxiliary electrode is distinct from the reference electrode, which establishes the electrical potential against which other potentials may be measured, and the working electrode, at which the cell reaction takes place. In a two-electrode system, either a known current or potential is applied between the working and auxiliary electrodes and the other variable may be measured. The auxiliary electrode functions as a cathode whenever the working electrode is operating as an anode and vice versa. The auxiliary electrode often has a surface area much larger than that of the working electrode to ensure that the half-reaction occurring at the auxiliary electrode can occur fast enough so as not to limit the process at the working electrode. When a three-electrode cell is used to perform electroanalytical chemistry, the auxiliary electrode, along with the working electrode, provides a circuit over which current is either applied or measured. Here, the potential of the auxiliary electrode is usually not measured and is adjusted so as to balance the reaction occurring at the working electrode. This configuration allows the potential of the working electrode to be measured against a known reference electrode without compromising the stability of that reference electrode by passing current over it. The auxiliary electrode may be isolated from the working electrode using a glass frit. Such isolation prevents any byproducts generated at the auxiliary electrode from contaminating the main test solution: for example, if a reduction is being performed at the working electrode in aqueous solution, oxygen may be evolved from the auxiliary electrode. Such isolation is crucial during the bulk electrolysis of a species which exhibits reversible redox behavior. Auxiliary electrodes are often fabricated from electrochemically active materials such as gold, platinum, or carbon, with a much higher surface area than the working electrode.

Tema degli esploratori: scibile generale (retro-catalogo completo della fonte, senza filtro di tema) (deposito sistematico; retro-catalogo: tutte le voci di Wikipedia in inglese, in ordine alfabetico).
Fonte: Wikipedia in inglese, voce «Auxiliary electrode» — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auxiliary_electrode
Wikidata Q1768785: «electrode which supplies/accepts current from the working electrode» (dati Wikidata in CC0 1.0) — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1768785
Autori: i contributori di Wikipedia (cronologia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auxiliary_electrode?action=history).
Licenza: Creative Commons Attribuzione-Condividi allo stesso modo 4.0 (CC BY-SA 4.0) — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/. Il riuso richiede attribuzione e stessa licenza.
Estratto dell'introduzione non modificato nel contenuto; revisione 1253928712, consultata il 2026-11-10T12:16:23.438Z tramite l'API ufficiale di Wikipedia. Impronta SHA-256 dell'estratto: 4d0191d0a7960a162267feed2afa6e95bebc816416bf0fbe7db09b6a752bb3d1