Equilibrium cell voltage

Thus measuring the cell voltage at equilibrium vs charge passed between the electrodes is equivalent to measuring the chemical potential as a function of x, the Li content of a compound like Li Mo Seg. Thermodynamics requires that p increase with concentration of guest ions, and so E decreases as ions are added to the positive electrode. 

Fig. 1. The energy levels in a semiconductor. Shown are the valence and conduction bands and the forbidden gap in between where represents an occupied level, ie, electrons are present -O-, an unoccupied level and -3- an energy level arising from a chemical defect D and occurring within the forbidden gap. The electrons in each band are somewhat independent, (a) A cold semiconductor in pitch darkness where the valence band levels are filled and conduction band levels are empty, (b) The same semiconductor exposed to intense light or some other form of excitation showing the quasi-Fermi level for each band. The energy levels are occupied up to the available voltage for that band. There is a population inversion between conduction and valence bands which can lead to optical gain and possible lasing. Conversely, the chemical potential difference between the quasi-Fermi levels can be connected as the output voltage of a solar cell. Equilibrium is reestablished by stepwise recombination at the defect levels D within the forbidden gap.

With gaseous water the cell voltage at equilibrium of a hydrogen-oxygen fuel cell at 25°C under standard conditions is E°eq = 1.18 V, since AG°as = -227 kJ mol-1 at 25°C. 

In Equation (18b), the activity quotient is separated into the terms relating to the silver electrode and the hydrogen electrode. We assume that both electrodes (Ag+/Ag and H+/H2) operate under the standard condition (i.e. the H+/H2 electrode of our cell happens to constitute the SHE). This means that the equilibrium voltage of the cell of Figure 3.1.6 is identical with the half-cell equilibrium potential E°(Ag+l Ag) = 0.80 V. Furthermore, we note that the activity of the element silver is per definition unity. As the stoichiometric number of electrons transferred is one, the Nemst equation for the Ag+/Ag electrode can be formulated in the following convenient and standard way ... 

The standard equilibrium cell voltage resulting from a combination of any two electrodes is the difference between the two standard potentials, E°(2) - E°( 1). For instance, the standard cell equilibrium voltage of the combination F2/F with the Li+/Li electrode would be 5,911 V. Correspondingly, the standard free energy change of the underlying chemical reaction, 1/2 F2 + Li —> F + Li+, is AG° = -570 KJ (g-equivalent)-1. 

Here Uc,0 = — AG/nF is the cell voltage at equilibrium, Uc is the actual cell voltage under current operation, and is the thermoneutral voltage, Eq. (27), which permits isothermal operation. 

The Corning Ion-meter 135 and the Orion 811 are representative examples of pH-meters with and without a built-in microprocessor, respectively. The latter shows the cell voltage at equilibrium. Its temperature sensor automatically corrects the error due to the difference in temperature between the standards and the sample. When the potential difference between two standards varies significantly from the theoretical expectation, the Instrument shows the deviation. The microprocessor of the Ion-meter 135 allows the automatic use of different measurement programs (e.g. standard additions, sample addition, pH determination). Data can be stored In the memory for subsequent calculations. The microprocessor can also be used Independently. 

Table 2. Measured voltages and equilibrium constants for some galvanic cells using standard electrodes at 25 °C (all ions and soluble species at 1 M and all gases at 1 atm).

When the e.m.f. of a cell is measured by balancing it against an external voltage, so that no current flows, the maximum e.m.f. is obtained since the cell is at equilibrium. The maximum work obtainable from the cell is then nFE J, where n is the number of electrons transferred, F is the Faraday unit and E is the maximum cell e.m.f. We saw in Chapter 3 that the maximum amount of work obtainable from a reaction is given by the free energy change, i.e. - AG. Hence... 

Electrochemical cells may be used in either active or passive modes, depending on whether or not a signal, typically a current or voltage, must be actively appHed to the cell in order to evoke an analytically usehil response. Electroanalytical techniques have also been divided into two broad categories, static and dynamic, depending on whether or not current dows in the external circuit (1). In the static case, the system is assumed to be at equilibrium. The term dynamic indicates that the system has been disturbed and is not at equilibrium when the measurement is made. These definitions are often inappropriate because active measurements can be made that hardly disturb the system and passive measurements can be made on systems that are far from equilibrium. The terms static and dynamic also imply some sort of artificial time constraints on the measurement. Active and passive are terms that nonelectrochemists seem to understand more readily than static and dynamic. 

Otherwise it has been shown that the accumulation of electrolytes by many cells runs at the expense of cellular energy and is in no sense an equilibrium condition 113) and that the use of equilibrium thermodynamic equations (e.g., the Nemst-equation) is not allowed in systems with appreciable leaks which indicate a kinetic steady-state 114). In addition, a superposition of partial current-voltage curves was used to explain the excitability of biological membranes112 . In interdisciplinary research the adaptation of a successful theory developed in a neighboring discipline may be beneficial, thus an attempt will be made here, to use the mixed potential model for ion-selective membranes also in the context of biomembrane surfaces. 

One of the most important characteristics of a cell is its voltage, which is a measure of reaction spontaneity. Cell voltages depend on the nature of the half-reactions occurring at the electrodes (Section 18.2) and on the concentrations of species involved (Section 18.4). From the voltage measured at standard concentrations, it is possible to calculate the standard free energy change and the equilibrium constant (Section 18.3) of the reaction involved. 

As pointed out previously, the value of the standard cell voltage, E°, is a measure of the spontaneity of a cell reaction. In Chapter 17, we showed that the standard free energy change, AG°, is a general criterion for reaction spontaneity. As you might suppose, these two quantities have a simple relation to one another and to the equilibrium constant, K, for the cell reaction. 

When a voltaic cell operates, supplying electrical energy, the concentration of reactants decreases and that of the products increases. As time passes, the voltage drops steadily. Eventually it becomes zero, and we say that the cell is dead. At that point, the redox reaction taking place within the cell is at equilibrium, and there is no driving force to produce a voltage. 

What happens to any cell or battery as it operates The voltage decreases until, finally, it reaches zero. Then we say the cell is dead. Equilibrium has been attained and the reaction that... 

The reaction may be regarded as taking place in a voltaic cell, the two half-cells being a C12,2C1 system and a Fe3+,Fe2+ system. The reaction is allowed to proceed to equilibrium, and the total voltage or e.m.f. of the cell will then be zero, i.e. the potentials of the two electrodes will be equal ... 

In galvanic cells it is only possible to determine the potential difference as a voltage between two half-cells, but not the absolute potential of the single electrode. To measure the potential difference it has to be ensured that an electrochemical equilibrium exists at the phase boundaries, e.g., at the electrode/electrolyte interface. At the least it is required that there is no flux of current in the external and internal circuits. 

As a result of the combination of Eqs. (20) and (21), the reaction free energy, AG, and the equilibrium cell voltage, A< 00, under standard conditions are related to the sum of the chemical potentials //,. of the substances involved ... 

It was mentioned earlier that the equilibrium cell voltage A%, is equal to the difference between the equilibrium potentials of its half-cells e.g., for the Daniell element,... 

The temperature dependence of the equilibrium cell voltage forms the basis for determining the thermodynamic variables AG, A//, and AS. The values of the equilibrium cell voltage A%, and the temperature coefficient dA< 00/d7 which are necessary for the calculation, can be measured exactly in experiments. 

By integration the dependence of the equilibrium cell voltage on the partial pressure of the dissolved gas (with the integration constant K equivalent to A%, [10]) is obtained. 

During charging and discharging of the cell, the terminal voltage U is measured between the poles. It should also be possible to calculate directly the thermodynamic terminal voltage from the thermodynamic data of the cell reaction. This value often differs slightly from the terminal voltage measured between the poles of the cell because of an inhibited equilibrium state or side reactions. 

In practice, for a ternary system, the decomposition voltage of the solid electrolyte may be readily measured with the help of a galvanic cell which makes use of the solid electrolyte under investigation and the adjacent equilibrium phase in the phase diagram as an electrode. A convenient technique is the formation of these phases electrochemically by decomposition of the electrolyte. The sample is polarized between a reversible electrode and an inert electrode such as Pt or Mo in the case of a lithium ion conductor, in the same direction as in polarization experiments. The... 

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