EMF Flashcards
what is electrode potential a measure of?
oxidising ability
what does a high and positive electrode potential mean?
very good oxidising agent
what is the emf of a standard hydrogen electrode?
0
why is the emf of the she 0?
acts as a baseline - used as a comparison
how should the standard hydrogen electrode and the other half cell be connected?
with a high resistance voltmeter and a salt bridge
how can you make a salt bridge?
soak filter paper in potassium chloride/nitrate
fill a u tube with KCl in agar jelly
what is the purpose of a salt bridge?
completes the circuit
balances the charges
why do you stopper the end of a salt bridge with cotton wool?
to stop too much mixing of salt bridge solution with the contents of the two beakers
describe how the standard hydrogen electrode is set up
solution of H+ ions
platinum electrode (platinum foil over porous platinum)
H2 gas
what standard conditions are all half cells under?
all solutions are 1M
gases at 100kPa
298K temp
why do half cells need to be under standard conditions?
because the equilibrium shifts with a change in conditions
why is a high resistance voltmeter needed when connecting two half cells?
to avoid the flow of current because this will cause a drop in the voltage
define standard electrode potential
the electrode potential of a standard electrode with ion conc of 1M at 298K connected to a standard H electrode using a high resistance voltmeter and salt bridge
which side does the oxidation half cell go on?
the left
which side does the reduction electrode go on?
the right
what is the equation to find the EMF of a whole cell?
E(rhs)-E(lhs)