What is the relationship between Gibbs free energy change (ΔG) and cell potential (E) in electrochemistry?
Practice Questions
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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
The relationship is given by ΔG = -nFE, where n is the number of moles of electrons and F is Faraday's constant.
Questions & Step-by-step Solutions
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Q
Q: What is the relationship between Gibbs free energy change (ΔG) and cell potential (E) in electrochemistry?
Solution: The relationship is given by ΔG = -nFE, where n is the number of moles of electrons and F is Faraday's constant.
Steps: 6
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.