Table 4 shows some electrode half-equations and their standard electrode potentials - AQA - A-Level Chemistry - Question 10 - 2017 - Paper 1
Question 10
Table 4 shows some electrode half-equations and their standard electrode potentials.
Table 4
Electrode half-equation E° / V
Cl2(g) + 2e⁻ → 2Cl⁻(aq) +1.36
NO3⁻(aq... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Table 4 shows some electrode half-equations and their standard electrode potentials - AQA - A-Level Chemistry - Question 10 - 2017 - Paper 1
Step 1
Deduce the oxidation state of nitrogen in NO3⁻ and in NO.
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Answer
For the oxidation state of nitrogen in NO3⁻:
The total charge of the ion is -1. Each oxygen has an oxidation state of -2.
Therefore, for three oxygen atoms, we have:
3(−2)+x=−1
Solving for x gives us:
x=+5
Thus, nitrogen in NO3⁻ has an oxidation state of +5.
For nitrogen in NO:
Oxygen has an oxidation state of -2. This leads to:
x−2=0
Which means:
x=+2
Thus, nitrogen in NO has an oxidation state of +2.
Step 2
State the weakest reducing agent in Table 4.
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Answer
The weakest reducing agent in Table 4 is Fe²⁺(aq) because it has the lowest electrode potential (-0.44 V), indicating that it is less favorable to reduce compared to the others.
Step 3
Write the conventional representation of the cell that has an EMF of +0.43 V.
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The cell representation is: extCu(s)∣extCu2+(aq)∣∣extFe3+(aq),extFe(s)
This shows copper as the anode and iron as the cathode, where the half-cell reactions correspond to their respective standard electrode potentials.
Step 4
Use data from Table 4 to identify an acid that will oxidise copper. Explain your choice of acid.
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The appropriate acid that can oxidise copper is nitric acid (HNO3). Nitric acid contains the nitrate ion (NO3⁻), which has a higher electrode potential (+0.96 V) than copper (+0.34 V). This potential indicates that nitrate ion can act as an oxidizing agent, thus being capable of oxidizing copper.
The possible equation for the reaction is: 3extCu(s)+8extH+(aq)+2extNO3−(aq)→3extCu2+(aq)+2extNO(g)+4extH2O(l)
To calculate the EMF of the cell for the reaction:
The EMF for the reaction can be computed by taking the difference between the electrode potentials of the cathode and anode: extEMF=Ecathode−Eanode
Where:
Ecathode (for NO3⁻) = +0.96 V
Eanode (for Cu) = +0.34 V
Thus:
extEMF=0.96extV−0.34extV=0.62extV