Electrochemistry Tutorial: Galvanic Cells and the Nernst Equation >> Step 3: Practice with standard cell potentials

Electrochemistry: Galvanic Cells and the Nernst Equation

Step 3: Practice with standard cell potentials

On the previous page, we used half-cell potentials to predict the potential of an electrochemical cell. In this activity, you will measure the potential of a full cell, and use this to determine the half-cell potential of an unknown metal, X. (This is the type of experiment that chemists do to create a table of half-cell reduction potentials.)

Activity: Determine the half-cell potential for an unknown metal.
Use the simulation below to determine the half-cell potential for the metal "X". [Note you may use the table of standard half-cell potentials in your textbook, or one available online: http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/tables/electpot.html] The questions below will assist you in determining this value.

Please print the feedback form and answer the following questions to be turned in to your TA.

1. Use the simulation below to determine the half-cell potential for the metal "X".
1. What is the balanced half-cell reaction corresponding to the reduction of metal X?
2. What cell potentials did you measure to help determine the half-cell reduction potential for metal X, and what values did you obtain (list two different cells, and the measured potential)?
3. What value did you obtain for the half-cell reduction potential of metal X?
4. As a check of your answer, use your above value for the half-cell reduction potential of X to calculate the potential of the two cells you measured in part b. Your predicted values should agree with what you measured in part b.