Electrochemical & Galvanic Cells:
Side-by-side comparison

Table 33.1: Key facts on electrolytic and galvanic cell.

	Electrolytic Cell	Galvanic (Voltaic Cell)
Purpose	Use electricity to drive a chemical reaction	Use spontaneous chemical reactions to create energy
Free energy change ($\Delta$G)	+$\Delta$G (non-spontaneous)	-$\Delta$G (spontaneous)
Reaction mechanism	Red-ox	Red-ox
System setup	Usually one container	Two containers
Charge of anode	+	-
Charge of cathode	-	+