At
298 K the following concentration cell is set up:
Ag(s)∣AgCl(s), NaCl(aq, 0.010 M)∥AgNO3(aq, 0.10 M)∣Ag(s). The measured emf is
0.413 V. Take
2.303RT/F=0.059 V and neglect the chloride contributed by the dissolution of
AgCl itself. The solubility product
Ksp of
AgCl at this temperature is
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Answer: (B) 1.0×10−10
Both electrodes are silver, so the cell is a concentration cell and only the
Ag+ activities matter. The left half-cell has the smaller
[Ag+], hence it is the anode, and with one electron transferred
E=0.059log[Ag+]L[Ag+]R. Putting
E=0.413 gives
log[Ag+]L0.10=7, so
[Ag+]L=1.0×10−8 M. This silver ion concentration is fixed by the solubility equilibrium in the presence of
0.010 M Cl−, so
Ksp=[Ag+][Cl−]=10−8×10−2=1.0×10−10. Option (A) is the silver ion concentration alone, a common slip when the chloride is forgotten. Option (C) results from treating the solution as saturated in pure water,
Ksp=s2=(10−8)2, and (D) is not obtainable from the data. The answer is
1.0×10−10.