Establishing a Table of Reduction Potentials: Micro-Voltaic Cells
1. The solutions you used in this experiment were all prepared to the standard concentration of 1.0 M metal ions. If, in any of your measurements, the metal ion concentration for the solution in contact with your cathode was significantly less than 1.0 M while the concentration of the solution in contact with your anode was 1.0 M, what effect would that have on the measured value of the cell potential compared with the expected value for 1M ion solutions?
2. Similarly what would be the effect of a cathode metal ion concentration higher than 1.0 M (while anode stays 1.0 M) on the measured value of Eᵒcell
3. Use a Reduction potential chart to predict other possible interfering red-ox reactions that might give false readings. (hint what ions are present that can undergo oxidation and or reduction to produce other ions that will have a different half-cell Eᵒred with the metal than the M2+ ion?).
According to nernst eqn
If cathode conc is less than actual value , this means that logarithm term will be larger than actual which means calculated value of E will be lesser than actual case
If anode conc is higher than actual value, this means that logarithm term will be larger than actual which means calculated value of E will be lesser than actual case
Sources of error in voltage measurement would be
Temperature
Pressure
Improper salt bridge
Interfernece of metal ions, for eg instead of M2+ ions, M3+ ions can be present which can lead to erratic cell voltage
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