Platinum

[Chris Tai 1B]

Under what circumstances should I include platinum in the cell diagram? When do I know it's on the side of the anode or on the side of the cathode, or both?

[Parker Smith]

Platinum is a noble metal, meaning it is inert in electrochemical conducting. It can be used as both a cathode and an anode. We use platinum anodes/cathodes when the solution involves an aqueous product or reactant, or both in some cases. For example, a platinum conductor would be used for the half reaction Iron(III) +1e- --> Iron(II), since Iron (III) and Iron(II) are both aqueous cations.

[Venus_Hagan 2L]

We use metals like platinum in our galvanic cells when both the reactants and products of a half-reaction are not in a solid-state. For the example of a hydrogen cathode, the H+ ions(aq) are getting reduced into H2 gas. Without a platinum electrode, the electrons can not flow from the anode and get to the H+ and reduce it.