EMF and its standard conditions (1 Viewer)

mysterymarkplz

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Just a quick question, why are the standard conditions what they are, why is it 1M, 25*, 100kPa, etc.
Also how does changing the standard conditions affect the experimental EMF?
Thanks
 

strawberrye

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Well, standard conditions allows for standard reduction potential values to be tabulated, and in turn, allows us to calculate predicted voltages of different combinations and whether there is likely to be a spontaneous reaction, i.e. as indicated if the overall voltage is positive, in the same way of asking why these standard conditions are set, you could ask why, for example, the mole has been defined a certain way-these standards just serves as a reference point, and as EMF varies according to these factors-temperature, concentration, air pressure-it is logical to establish standard conditions as a reference point. How changing the standard conditions could affect experimental EMF could depend on just what you are changing, for example, if you are increasing the concentration of the electrolyte, it is likely that conductance can be faster, so you could have a higher voltage than the theoretical, only EMF measured under the standard conditions can be called standard EMF values-hope this helps:)
 

Kurosaki

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Just a quick question, why are the standard conditions what they are, why is it 1M, 25*, 100kPa, etc.
Also how does changing the standard conditions affect the experimental EMF?
Thanks
Standard conditions are defined as the above because someone felt like it. As for how changes in them can affect EMF- look at the Nernst equation:

, where Q is the reaction quotient (look at equilibrium constants). It's a bit above HSC level (first year uni), but basically, T is temperature in Kelvin, and Q is the reaction quotient for the equilibrium reaction. If you look at equilibrium constants, you'll see that changes in concentration of suitable reactants (aqueous and gaseous reactants) will cause changes in the value of Q, which affect the direction of the reaction, and can cause differences in the observed EMF as there is a greater tendency for the reaction to shift one way or another. This can also be done using Le Chatelier's Principle qualitatively, and you'll learn that next topic in the Acidic environment.

So basically, increasing the temperature decreases the observed EMF, and as for changes in concentration, that depends on which side of the equilibrium the reactant lies on.
 
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mysterymarkplz

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Yeah this clarifies heaps, thanks. So just basically, it serves as an easy reference point, and its standard room temp and pressure since its the most common environment which experiments are held in. By changing the conditions you also change your resultant EMF, and since the data sheet voltages were calculated in standard room temp if you use different conditions your experimental EMFs obviously be different. Is there anything else that i need to add if such a question comes up in the test? exam is in 2 days haha.
 

strawberrye

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Yeah this clarifies heaps, thanks. So just basically, it serves as an easy reference point, and its standard room temp and pressure since its the most common environment which experiments are held in. By changing the conditions you also change your resultant EMF, and since the data sheet voltages were calculated in standard room temp if you use different conditions your experimental EMFs obviously be different. Is there anything else that i need to add if such a question comes up in the test? exam is in 2 days haha.
It is hard to determine if there is anything else you need to add-because it depends on the exact question and how many marks that question is
 

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