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JEE Advanced 2021 Paper 1 · Chemistry · Electrochemistry · medium

At 298 K the cell Pt | H2(1 bar) | HA(aq, 0.10 M) || Ag^+(aq, 0.10 M) | Ag has an emf of 0.918 V. Take E^°Ag^+/Ag=0.80 V and 2.303RT/F=0.059 V, and…

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At 298 K298\ \mathrm{K} the cell Pt ∣ H2(1 bar) ∣ HA(aq, 0.10 M) ∣∣ Ag+(aq, 0.10 M) ∣ Ag\mathrm{Pt\,|\,H_2(1\ bar)\,|\,HA(aq,\ 0.10\ M)\,||\,Ag^+(aq,\ 0.10\ M)\,|\,Ag} has an emf of 0.918 V0.918\ \mathrm{V}. Take EAg+/Ag∘=0.80 VE^\circ_{\mathrm{Ag^+/Ag}}=0.80\ \mathrm{V} and 2.303RT/F=0.059 V2.303RT/F=0.059\ \mathrm{V}, and assume that activities equal concentrations. The acid dissociation constant KaK_a of the monobasic acid HA\mathrm{HA} is closest to
  1. A. 1.1×10−31.1\times10^{-3}
  2. B. 1.0×10−71.0\times10^{-7}
  3. C. 1.0×10−51.0\times10^{-5}
  4. D. 1.0×10−41.0\times10^{-4}
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Answer: (C) 1.0×10−51.0\times10^{-5}

The hydrogen electrode is the anode and the silver electrode the cathode, so Ecell=EAg+/Ag−EH+/H2E_{cell}=E_{\mathrm{Ag^+/Ag}}-E_{\mathrm{H^+/H_2}}. For silver, E=0.80+0.059log⁡(0.10)=0.741 VE=0.80+0.059\log(0.10)=0.741\ \mathrm{V}. For the hydrogen electrode at 1 bar, E=−0.059 pHE=-0.059\ \mathrm{pH}. Hence 0.918=0.741+0.059 pH0.918=0.741+0.059\,\mathrm{pH}, giving pH=3.00\mathrm{pH}=3.00 and [H+]=1.0×10−3 M[\mathrm{H^+}]=1.0\times10^{-3}\ \mathrm{M}. For HA⇌H++A−\mathrm{HA\rightleftharpoons H^++A^-}, Ka=[H+]2/(0.10−[H+])=10−6/0.099≈1.0×10−5K_a=[\mathrm{H^+}]^2/(0.10-[\mathrm{H^+}])=10^{-6}/0.099\approx1.0\times10^{-5}. The wrong choices come from forgetting the Nernst correction for Ag+\mathrm{Ag^+} (which uses 0.80 V and gives pH 2, Ka≈1.1×10−3K_a\approx1.1\times10^{-3}), or from dropping the square in [H+]2[\mathrm{H^+}]^2 or dividing by the wrong concentration. Remember also that the hydrogen electrode potential is negative of 0.059 pH0.059\,\mathrm{pH}, so the cell emf rises with pH, and each pH unit contributes 0.059 V0.059\ \mathrm{V}. Only option (C), 1.0×10−51.0\times10^{-5}, follows from the full treatment of both half-cells and the weak-acid equilibrium.
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