What is the relationship between Gibbs free energy change (ΔG) and cell potentia
Practice Questions
Q1
What is the relationship between Gibbs free energy change (ΔG) and cell potential (E) in electrochemistry?
ΔG = -nFE
ΔG = nFE
ΔG = -E/nF
ΔG = E/nF
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
What is the relationship between Gibbs free energy change (ΔG) and cell potential (E) in electrochemistry?
Step 1: Understand that Gibbs free energy change (ΔG) tells us if a reaction is spontaneous or not.
Step 2: Know that a negative ΔG means the reaction can happen on its own (spontaneous).
Step 3: Learn that cell potential (E) measures how much energy is available from a reaction in a battery or electrochemical cell.
Step 4: Recognize that a positive cell potential (E) also indicates a spontaneous reaction.
Step 5: Remember the formula ΔG = -nFE, where ΔG is Gibbs free energy change, n is the number of moles of electrons transferred, and F is Faraday's constant (approximately 96485 C/mol).
Step 6: Realize that if E is positive, ΔG will be negative, confirming the reaction is spontaneous.