Cathode

Description

The electrode by which current leaves the electrolytic device. The cathode is the site where reduction occurs; corrosion or oxidation occurs at the anode. In electrolysis, the cathode is negative and attracts cations. In a battery or voltaic cell, the transfer of charges of cations to the cathode makes it the positive terminal.

Synonyms and Related Terms

Kathode (Deut.); cathode (Fr.);

Resources and Citations

• Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997

• The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998

• Richard S. Lewis, Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 10th ed., 1993

• G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971

• David C. Scott, Metallography and Microstructure of Ancient and Historic Metals, The Getty Conservation Institute, Los Angeles, 1991