Assembling the Cell and Measuring the Potential Difference
IMAGE. A salt bridge connecting two half-cells.
An electrochemical cell is a complete electrical circuit similar to a circuit that might be used in a physics laboratory. Thus, the circuit must be closed in order to observe a potential.
Place one end of the bridge into one of the half-cells and the other end of the bridge into the second half-cell.
Connect the leads of the meter to the metal electrodes. Remember to record which lead is connected to which electrode.
Observe the potential from the meter. If the potential is negative, reverse the leads connected to the metal electrodes. For several reasons, the value displayed
by the meter will slowly, gradually and steadily decrease. In most cases, the first steady value displayed should be recorded as the potential of the cell.
Observe any changes that might be occurring in each half-cell.
