Oxidation versus reduction

[Matt Sanruk 2H]

If you were given a diagram of the electrochemical cell, should I assume that anode is on the left and the cathode is on the right?

[SnehinRajkumar1L]

Yes, that is the convention when representing galvanic cells.

[Matt Sanruk 2H]

Would there be a condition where the anode is on the right?

[Alice Ma 2K]

The anode is always the one that is oxidized and the cathode is reduced, so if you know which species are oxidized or reduced, you can differentiate between the anode and the cathode.

[Matt Sanruk 2H]

The anode is always the one that is oxidized and the cathode is reduced, so if you know which species are oxidized or reduced, you can differentiate between the anode and the cathode.

Would you know this by an equation given or the electron flow?

[Alice Ma 2K]

The anode is always the one that is oxidized and the cathode is reduced, so if you know which species are oxidized or reduced, you can differentiate between the anode and the cathode.

Would you know this by an equation given or the electron flow?

Given a chemical equation, you can determine what species is oxidized or reduced by looking at the oxidation number or the species themselves. Given electron flow, we know that oxidized species lose electrons and reduced ones gain them, so the electrons would flow from the oxidized ones to the reduced ones.

[J Medina 2I]

Conventionally it is shown flowing left from right where the left is the anion (anode) and the right is the cation (cathode).

[EMurphy_2L]

anode is left and cathode is right unless otherwise stated !

[Matt Sanruk 2H]

anode is left and cathode is right unless otherwise stated !

Ok, so he would not try and trick us in that way basically?

[Michelle Song 1I]

Yeah you can pretty much assume anion is left and cathode is right unless the question is worded in a way that implies differently.