Unit 9 · Thermodynamics and Electrochemistry

Chapter 9.5

Cells Away from Standard Conditions, and Electrolysis

A battery's voltage sags as it runs down because the reaction is creeping toward equilibrium, where the voltage is exactly zero. Push current the other way and you can run the reaction uphill, one mole of electrons at a time.

in preparation · lesson 45 of 45

By the end

  1. 01Predict qualitatively how concentration changes move a cell's potential above or below its standard value
  2. 02Explain why cell potential reaches zero at equilibrium and why Le Châtelier reasoning fails
  3. 03Relate charge passed, current, time, and moles of electrons to the mass deposited or consumed

In unit 9

  1. 9.1Entropy: How Matter and Energy Spread Out
  2. 9.2Gibbs Free Energy, Thermodynamic Favorability, and Kinetic Control
  3. 9.3Free Energy, Equilibrium, Dissolution, and Coupled Reactions
  4. 9.4Galvanic and Electrolytic Cells: Voltage from Free Energy
  5. 9.5Cells Away from Standard Conditions, and Electrolysis
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