Interpretation: The working of a zinc-copper voltaic cell needs to be explained.
Concept Introduction: A voltaic cell is an
Explanation of Solution
In a zinc-copper voltaic cell, zinc tends to lose electrons as compared to copper. Here, zinc and copper metal are placed in solutions of their salts. Since zinc has more tendency to lose electrons, it will provide electrons and become a positive charge. The positive charge zinc ions then go into the solution. From the solution, the reduction of copper ions takes place and the deposition of an uncharged copper atom takes place on the copper electrode.
Here, the oxidation of zinc takes place at the anode and the reaction is represented as follows:
Anode-Oxidation reaction:
Similarly, the reduction of copper takes place at the cathode and the reaction is represented as follows:
Cathode-Reduction reaction:
Here, the overall cell reaction will be the sum of the above two half-cell reactions.
Overall cell reaction:
Therefore, the overall cell reaction is as follows:
Chapter 21 Solutions
Chemistry 2012 Student Edition (hard Cover) Grade 11
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