A student is planning to set up a demonstration of a galvanic cell using half cells constructed as follows - VCE - SSCE Chemistry - Question 7 - 2004 - Paper 1
Question 7
A student is planning to set up a demonstration of a galvanic cell using half cells constructed as follows.
- Half cell 1: a calcium electrode in a beaker containin... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:A student is planning to set up a demonstration of a galvanic cell using half cells constructed as follows - VCE - SSCE Chemistry - Question 7 - 2004 - Paper 1
Step 1
A. solid calcium (Ca) will react directly to reduce water to hydrogen gas.
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Answer
This statement is true because solid calcium is highly reactive and can indeed react with water to produce hydrogen gas. This would disrupt the redox reactions expected in the galvanic cell.
Step 2
B. there is no solid tin (Sn) in the half cell containing Sn<sup>4+</sup>(aq) and Sn<sup>2+</sup>(aq).
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This statement is correct but does not necessarily invalidate the galvanic cell setup, as the reactions can still proceed with the given species.
Step 3
C. there are no known ionic compounds of calcium that are soluble in water.
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While many calcium compounds are insoluble, this does not interfere with the galvanic cell setup directly, as the required ionic environment is being provided by the Ca<sup>2+</sup> solution.
Step 4
D. Sn<sup>4+</sup>(aq) will be in contact with Ca and will oxidise it to Ca<sup>2+</sup>(aq).
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This statement is valid because the presence of Sn<sup>4+</sup> can indeed oxidise elemental calcium, making this galvanic cell impractical.
