[sel] 
| 1. | a small room, as in a convent or prison. |
| 2. | any of various small compartments or bounded areas forming part of a whole. |
| 3. | a small group acting as a unit within a larger organization: a local cell of the Communist party. |
| 4. | Biology. a usually microscopic structure containing nuclear and cytoplasmic material enclosed by a semipermeable membrane and, in plants, a cell wall; the basic structural unit of all organisms. |
| 5. | Entomology. one of the areas into which the wing of an insect is divided by the veins. |
| 6. | Botany. locule. |
| 7. | Electricity.
|
| 8. | Also called electrolytic cell. Physical Chemistry. a device for producing electrolysis, consisting essentially of the electrolyte, its container, and the electrodes. |
| 9. | Aeronautics. the gas container of a balloon. |
| 10. | Ecclesiastical. a monastery or nunnery, usually small, dependent on a larger religious house. |
| 11. | Telecommunications. See under cellular phone. |
| 12. | to live in a cell: The two prisoners had celled together for three years. |
| electrolytic cell n.
|
The basic unit of all living things except viruses. In advanced organisms, cells consist of a nucleus (which contains genetic material), cytoplasm, and organelles, all of which are surrounded by a cell membrane.
Note: Groups of cells with similar structure and function form tissues.
cell (sěl)
n.
The smallest structural unit of an organism that is capable of independent functioning, consisting of one or more nuclei, cytoplasm, and various organelles, all surrounded by a semipermeable cell membrane.
A small enclosed cavity or space.
cell (sěl) Pronunciation Key
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cellular adjective |
| electrolytic cell
A device that contains two electrodes in contact with an electrolyte and that brings about a chemical reaction when connected to an outside source of electricity. The electrodes are made of metal or carbon, and when connected to direct current, one electrode becomes positively charged, and the other becomes negatively charged. This initiates the movement of ions in the electrolyte toward the electrodes: positive ions move toward the negative electrode and negative ions move toward the positive electrode. A chemical reaction then takes place at each electrode, with ions changing from positive to negative (or vice versa), or becoming neutralized. Electrolytic cells have many practical uses, including the recovery of pure metal from alloys, the plating of one metal with another, and the manufacture of chlorine and sodium hydroxide. Compare voltaic cell. |
electrolytic cell
any device in which electrical energy is converted to chemical energy, or vice versa. Such a cell typically consists of two metallic or electronic conductors (electrodes) held apart from each other and in contact with an electrolyte (q.v.), usually a dissolved or fused ionic compound. Connection of the electrodes to a source of direct electric current renders one of them negatively charged and the other positively charged. Positive ions in the electrolyte migrate to the negative electrode (cathode) and there combine with one or more electrons, losing part or all of their charge and becoming new ions having lower charge or neutral atoms or molecules; at the same time, negative ions migrate to the positive electrode (anode) and transfer one or more electrons to it, also becoming new ions or neutral particles. The overall effect of the two processes is the transfer of electrons from the negative ions to the positive ions, a chemical reaction (see oxidation-reduction reaction). An example is the electrolysis of sodium chloride (common salt), forming sodium metal and chlorine gas; the energy required to make the reaction proceed is supplied by the electric current. Other common applications of electrolysis include electrodeposition for refining or plating of metals and the production of caustic soda.
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