katodiske

Katodiske is an adjective that relates to the cathode, the electrode involved in reduction in electrochemistry and related fields. The term is used across disciplines such as electrochemistry, electroplating, corrosion protection, and vacuum electronics to describe phenomena, processes, or components associated with the cathode.

In electrochemistry, the cathode is the electrode where reduction takes place. The designation depends on the cell type: in galvanic (voltaic) cells, the cathode is the positive electrode, while in electrolytic cells it is the negative electrode. The anode is the electrode where oxidation occurs. The term “katodiske” thus denotes reactions, deposits, or measurements occurring at the cathode, such as katodiske reduksjonsreaksjoner or katodisk depote.

Common applications include cathodic protection and electroplating. Cathodic protection makes a metal structure the cathode relative to its environment, thereby reducing corrosion. In electroplating, the object to be coated is the cathode so that metal ions are reduced and deposited on its surface. The term also appears in description of cathodic processes like hydrogen evolution at the cathode in electrolytic cells.

Historically, the phrase appeared in reference to cathode rays—the streams of electrons emitted by a heated cathode in vacuum tubes. These katodiske stråler helped establish the existence of the electron and contributed to early atomic physics, notably in experiments by J. J. Thomson in the late 19th century.

Today, katodiske remains a standard descriptor in Norwegian for concepts and phenomena associated with the cathode, across both theoretical and applied contexts.