In an electrochemical cell, chemical energy is converted into electrical energy. This is accomplished by using a spontaneous chemical reaction to generate an electric current, which we can simply define here as electrons traveling though a wire.
To create the electrochemical cell two half-reactions will be set up in different containers. In one, an oxidation reaction will be used to generate a source of electrons. These free electrons will travel, through an external circuit, to the second container and will cause the reduction reaction to occur. The final requirement for our complete electrochemical cell will be a salt bridge that will permit ions to flow between the two half-cells, thus maintaining electrically neutral solutions.