Which term describes the voltage produced by an electrochemical cell?

• A. Electrolytic Cell
• B. Nuclear decay
• C. Cell Potential
• D. Radioactivity

Answer: (C)

In electrochemistry, the voltage you obtain from a cell is called the cell potential. This is the electric potential difference between the two electrodes, reflecting the energy available to drive electrons through an external circuit. It’s determined by the difference in reduction potentials of the half-cells and indicates how much driving force there is for the spontaneous flow of electrons (positive cell potential means a spontaneous galvanic cell). An electrolytic cell, by contrast, uses external electrical energy to push a non-spontaneous reaction, so it doesn’t describe a voltage produced by the cell itself. Nuclear decay and radioactivity are unrelated to electrochemical voltage. Therefore, the term that describes the voltage produced by an electrochemical cell is cell potential.