Answer to Question #88608 in General Chemistry for Trinity Collister

Question

what is used in a voltaic cell to maintain the charge balance between the two half cells?

Answer 1

If there is no charge balance between the half cells, the flow of ions will cease as the electrolytes become charged. This will result in the stopped electronic flow. Thus, we need to maintain charge balance in order to allow positive and negative charge formation.

To maintain electrical neutrality, cations flow towards the cathode through the porous boundary (salt bridge or porous cup) and anions flow to the anode through the porous boundary.