salt bridge

[Zenita Leang 2K]

why is a salt bridge needed in a galvanic cell?

[Ibrahim Malik 1H]

If the salt bridge was not present in a galvanic cell, there would be no ion transfer, meaning the solutions would not stay neutral. After a certain amount of electron transfer, the exchange would stop due to there being no salt bridge present to transfer ions. With no salt bridge, the galvanic cell would not function properly/efficiently.

[Christopher Anisi 2K]

The salt bridge is used to balance out the charges between the two solutions as the electron transfer occurs.

[Fayez Kanj]

Hello

In the anode (where oxidation occurs), species lose electrons and thus become positive ions. If this is allowed to keep going on, there would be a buildup on positive ions at the anode half of the cell. This would prevent any additional oxidation from occurring, since it is already too positive. The same applies for the cathode half. A salt bride is thus needed so that the charged ions can flow to the other half, preventing charge buildup and thus, allowing the cell to keep operating.

Hope this helps :)