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Ch.19 - Electrochemistry
Chapter 19, Problem 100

The Nernst equation applies to both cell reactions and half-reactions. For the conditions specified, calculate the potential for the following half-reactions at 25 °C. (b)

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Nernst Equation

The Nernst equation relates the reduction potential of a half-reaction to the standard electrode potential, temperature, and the concentrations of reactants and products. It is expressed as E = E° - (RT/nF) ln(Q), where E is the cell potential, E° is the standard potential, R is the gas constant, T is the temperature in Kelvin, n is the number of moles of electrons transferred, F is Faraday's constant, and Q is the reaction quotient.
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Standard Electrode Potential

Standard electrode potential (E°) is the measure of the intrinsic ability of a half-reaction to gain electrons under standard conditions (1 M concentration, 1 atm pressure, and 25 °C). It serves as a reference point for calculating the potential of electrochemical cells and is crucial for determining the direction of spontaneous reactions.
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Reaction Quotient (Q)

The reaction quotient (Q) is a dimensionless number that reflects the ratio of the concentrations of products to reactants at any point in a reaction, raised to the power of their stoichiometric coefficients. It is used in the Nernst equation to account for the current state of the reaction, allowing for the calculation of the cell potential under non-standard conditions.
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Related Practice
Textbook Question
Consider a galvanic cell that uses the reaction Calculate the potential at 25 °C for a cell that has the following ion concentrations: [Ag+] = 0.010M, [Ni2+] = 0.100M.
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Textbook Question
A galvanic cell has an iron electrode in contact with 0.10 M FeSO4 and a copper electrode in contact with a CuSO4 solu-tion. If the measured cell potential at 25 °C is 0.67 V, what is the concentration of Cu2+ in the CuSO4 solution?
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Textbook Question
What is the Fe2+: Sn2+ concentration ratio in the following cell at 25 °C if the measured cell potential is 0.35 V?
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Textbook Question

When suspected drunk drivers are tested with a Breathalyzer, the alcohol (ethanol) in the exhaled breath is oxidized to acetic acid with an acidic solution of potassium dichromate: The color of the solution changes because some of the orange Cr2O72- is converted to the green Cr3+ The Breathalyzer measures the color change and produces a meter reading calibrated in blood alcohol content. (a) What is E° for the reaction if the standard half-cell potential for the reduction of acetic acid to ethanol is 0.058 V?

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Textbook Question

When suspected drunk drivers are tested with a Breathalyzer, the alcohol (ethanol) in the exhaled breath is oxidized to acetic acid with an acidic solution of potassium dichromate: The color of the solution changes because some of the orange Cr2O72- is converted to the green Cr3+ The Breathalyzer measures the color change and produces a meter reading calibrated in blood alcohol content. (b) What is the value of E for the reaction when the concentrations of ethanol, acetic acid, Cr2O7 are 1.0 M and the pH is 4.00?

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Textbook Question
At one time on Earth, iron was present mostly as iron(II). Later, once plants had produced a significant quantity of oxygen in the atmosphere, the iron became oxidized to iron(III). Show that Fe2+(aq) can be spontaneously oxidized to Fe3+(aq) by O2(g) at 25°C assuming the following reasonable environmental conditions:
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