What are inert electrodes?

Inert electrodes include graphite, platinum, gold and other electrodes.

In an electrolytic cell, the electrode that does not participate in the reaction itself is called an inert electrode, and vice versa. Electrodes such as graphite and platinum are inert electrodes, while other electrodes are usually non-inert. Inert electrode refers to an electrode that is not easy to gain or lose electrons and generally does not react with electrolyte. It consists of inert materials such as platinum, gold or carbon and a solution containing soluble oxidizing and reducing substances. It does not participate in redox reaction itself, but only plays the role of transferring electrons, and its electrode potential is equal to the potential of redox pair in solution.