JEE Advanced 2016 Paper 2 · Chemistry · Electrochemistry · medium
A galvanic cell is set up at 298 K as Ag(s) | AgCl(s), KCl(0.1 M) \| AgNO3(0.1 M) | Ag(s). Its measured EMF is 0.472 V. Take 2.303RT/F=0.059 V and…
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A galvanic cell is set up at 298K as Ag(s)∣AgCl(s),KCl(0.1M)∥AgNO3(0.1M)∣Ag(s). Its measured EMF is 0.472V. Take 2.303RT/F=0.059V and assume ideal behaviour. The molar solubility of AgCl in pure water at 298K is
A.1.0×10−5M
B.3.2×10−5M
C.1.0×10−4M
D.1.0×10−10M
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Answer:(A) 1.0×10−5M
Both electrodes are silver, so this is a concentration cell with the cathode (right) having [Ag+]=0.1M and the anode (left) having [Ag+] fixed by the solubility equilibrium of AgCl in 0.1M chloride: [Ag+]L=Ksp/0.1. Nernst equation: E=0.059log[Ag+]L[Ag+]R=0.059logKsp0.1×0.1. Setting E=0.472 gives log(0.01/Ksp)=8, so Ksp=10−10. In pure water s=Ksp=1.0×10−5M. Using [Ag+]L=Ksp (ignoring common ion) gives 3.2×10−5; putting the chloride concentration on the wrong side gives 10−4; quoting Ksp itself gives 10−10. Hence the answer is 1.0×10−5M. As a check, the half-cell on the left behaves as a chloride electrode: its potential is lower than that of the silver electrode by exactly 0.472 V, consistent with [Ag+]L=10−9M.