gchem 3 Flashcards
What is the difference between a reducing agent and an oxidizing agent?
oxidizing - atom or molecule that accepts electrons
reducing - atom or molecule that donates electrons
What is the oxidation state of any elemental atom?
0
What is the oxidation state of fluorine?
-1
What is the oxidation state of hydrogen?
+1
What is the oxidation state of hydrogen w a metal?
-1
What is the oxidation state of oxygen?
-2
What is the oxidation state of alkali metals?
+1
What is the oxidation state of alkaline earth metals?
+2
What is the oxidation state of group V atoms?
-3
What is the oxidation state of group VI atoms?
-2
What is the oxidation state of group VII atoms?
-1
What is electrical potential?
degree of which a species “wants electrons” or “wants to be reduced”
A species that has a positive electrical potential is more likely to __ ___
gain electrons
A species with a negative electrical potential is __ ___ to gain electrons
less likely
What is cell potential?
E°cell is the sum of the electrical potentials for the two half-reactions that make up an electrochemical cell
The oxidation half-reaction is the __ of the reduction half reaction
reverse
you CANNOT add two E° values directly off of a half-reaction table, so you need to _____
you must reverse the half-reaction of the species with the lowest reduction potential and take the negative of its E° value. Only after changing the sign can you add these two together to get the E°cell
When calculating cell potential DO NOT use __
Stoichiometry
Would you expect a strong oxidizing agent to have a high or a low reduction potential?
it would have a high reduction potential (it wants to gain electrons to oxidize a different molecule)
What is the galvanic cell?
Galvanic cells convert chemical energy into electrical energy. By taking advantage of the difference in reduction potentials between two metals, a current can be spontaneously generated along a wire that connects two metal electrodes submerged in solutions that contain metal ions.
What is the purpose of a salt bridge in a galvanic cell?
neutralizes the build up of charge between the two cells so it doesn’t shut down
In all electrochemical cells, __ always happens at the cathode and __ always happens at the anode
reduction, oxidation
What is an electrolytic cell?
Essentially, a galvanic cell to which an external voltage is applied, forcing the electrons to flow in the opposite direction.
the cell potential in electrolytic cells is always ___
NEGATIVE (opposite for galvanic cells)