Quick questions on Electrochemistry: TCE Chemistry (Tasmania)

2short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.

What are the two cell types?

Show answer

A galvanic cell converts the chemical energy of a spontaneous redox reaction into electrical energy. An electrolytic cell does the opposite, using an external supply to force a non-spontaneous redox reaction. Both rely on separating oxidation and reduction so electrons travel through an external circuit.

What are standard electrode potentials?

Show answer

The driving force is the cell potential, or electromotive force (EMF), in volts. Each half-reaction has a standard electrode potential

E^\circ

, measured relative to the standard hydrogen electrode defined as

0\ \text{V}

. Standard conditions are

25\ ^\circ\text{C}

1\ \text{mol L}^{-1}

concentrations and

100\ \text{kPa}

for gases. Potentials are tabulated as reduction potentials, with the strongest oxidants at the top.

Have a question we have not covered?

This dot-point answer is short enough that we have not extracted many short questions yet. Read the full dot-point answer or ask Mo, our study assistant, in the chat for follow ups.