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JEE Advanced 2020 Paper 2 · Chemistry · Electrochemistry · medium

A galvanic cell is built as Ag(s) | AgBr(s) | KBr(0.010 M) \| AgNO3(0.10 M) | Ag(s) at 298 K. Given Ksp(AgBr)=5.0×10^-13 and (2.303RT)/(F)=0.0591 V…

Numerical answer

A galvanic cell is built as Ag(s) ∣ AgBr(s) ∣ KBr(0.010 M) ∥ AgNO3(0.10 M) ∣ Ag(s)\mathrm{Ag(s)\,|\,AgBr(s)\,|\,KBr(0.010\ M)\,\|\,AgNO_3(0.10\ M)\,|\,Ag(s)} at 298 K298\ \mathrm{K}. Given Ksp(AgBr)=5.0×10−13K_{sp}(\mathrm{AgBr})=5.0\times10^{-13} and 2.303RTF=0.0591 V\dfrac{2.303RT}{F}=0.0591\ \mathrm{V}, the emf of the cell, in V, is ______. (Give the answer correct to two decimal places.)
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Answer: 0.55

The left half-cell is a silver electrode in contact with AgBr\mathrm{AgBr} and 0.010 M0.010\ \mathrm{M} bromide, so the silver ion concentration there is fixed by the solubility product: [Ag+]L=Ksp[Br−]=5.0×10−130.010=5.0×10−11 M[\mathrm{Ag^+}]_{L}=\dfrac{K_{sp}}{[\mathrm{Br^-}]}=\dfrac{5.0\times10^{-13}}{0.010}=5.0\times10^{-11}\ \mathrm{M}. The right half-cell has [Ag+]R=0.10 M[\mathrm{Ag^+}]_R=0.10\ \mathrm{M}. Both electrodes are silver, so E∘=0E^\circ=0 and this is a concentration cell with n=1n=1, with the more dilute side as anode. Then E=0.0591log⁡[Ag+]R[Ag+]L=0.0591log⁡0.105.0×10−11=0.0591log⁡(2.0×109)E=0.0591\log\dfrac{[\mathrm{Ag^+}]_R}{[\mathrm{Ag^+}]_L}=0.0591\log\dfrac{0.10}{5.0\times10^{-11}}=0.0591\log(2.0\times10^{9}). Since log⁡(2×109)=9.301\log(2\times10^{9})=9.301, E=0.0591×9.301=0.5497≈0.55 VE=0.0591\times9.301=0.5497\approx0.55\ \mathrm{V}. Because the right-hand silver ion concentration is far larger, the right electrode is the cathode where Ag+\mathrm{Ag^+} is reduced, and the left electrode is the anode where silver is oxidised and immediately precipitates as AgBr\mathrm{AgBr} in the bromide medium, so the left half-cell stays saturated and its silver ion level does not drift.
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