DETERMINATION OF ELECTRODE POTENTIAL

G. BENTAYEN1
1Department of Mining, Metallurgical, and Materials Engineering, College of Engineering
University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City 1101, Philippines
Date Submitted: 19 March 2019
Date Performed: 26 March 2019

ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS

1. Discuss the differences between galvanic and electrolytic cells.

Galvanic cell uses transforms chemical energy from spontaneous redox reactions by letting
electrons travel through a wire while electrolytic cell induces the reverse redox reactions by
charging the electrode first1.

2. What is the measured value of Ecell for each cell and its relevance to the E0red for the iron
half-cell and halogen half-cells?
The measured E0cell is 1.08 for the Zn cell and -.053 for the Fe cell. This means that the Fe half
cell reactions undergoes the reverse reaction – Fe is oxidized. The lower magnitude of Fe than the
Zn half cell suggests a slower reaction rate1.

3. Compare the calculated E0red for each half-cell with their literature value. What
assessment can be made regarding the experimentation done.
The E0red, as stated by Zumdahl, et al. is 0.76 V for Zn and -0.44 for Fe2+. The calculated E0red
for zinc yielded 86% error while the calculated E0red for Iron yielded 56.8% error. The values still
yield the correct sign (positive for Zn, negative for Fe), which meant that it still proceeds in the
correct direction. The error magnitude might be caused by the deviation from standard conditions,
as well as the impurities in the solutions used.

4. Based on your observations, what are the half reactions which occur at the anode and
cathode during the electrolysis?
Since the Br- solution changed color, the solution was charged. Therefore, the half reaction
at the anode is 2Br- → Br2(aq) + 2e- and the half reaction at the cathode is 2H+ +2e- → H2

5. Based on the calculated values, what are the most effective reducing and oxidizing
agents?
Zn has a higher E0red so it is the most effective oxidizing agent. Similarly, Fe has the lower
E red which makes it the effective reducing agent.
0

6. Are values of standard reduction potentials helpful in determining the spontaneity of a

reaction? How?
𝑬𝟎𝒄𝒆𝒍𝒍 = 𝑬𝟎𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒅𝒆 − 𝑬𝟎𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒅𝒆 (1)
𝑹𝑻
𝑬𝒄𝒆𝒍𝒍 = 𝑬𝟎𝒄𝒆𝒍𝒍 − 𝒏𝒇 𝒍𝒐𝒈𝑸 (2)
Standard reduction potentiols are used to compute for the Ecell of galvanic and electrolytic
cells (equation 1). In turn, Ecell can be computed from the E0cell using equation 2. Positive values of
E0cell means a spontaneous reaction for a galvanic cell, and a non-spontaneous reaction for
electrolytic cells. E0cell can be determined from the E0red of the anode and cathode2.
7. What are the possible sources of errors and their effect on the calculated parameters?
Rationalize.
Deviation from the true E0cell values may arise from the improper solution preparation, since
it changes the amount of ions present in the solution. It may also arise from the deviation from the
standard conditions, i.e. the room temperature is not necessarily 250C.
REFERENCES

[1] Zumdahl, S. S.; Zumdahl, S. A.; DeCoste, D.J. Chemistyr; Cengage Learning: Boston, 2014.
[2] Petrucci, R.; General Chemistry: Principles and Modern Applications 10th Edition. Pearson
Canada Inc: Toronto, 2011.