Please...how do you calculate the reduction potential for 1 M CuSO4? I've been trying for hours......!!
Please help me I've been trying for the whole day!
You look it up in a book if you have no other information. 1M and 25 C is the standard. My text gives +0.337.
If you have K it is
NFEo = RTlnK
I see your problem now after reading below. I have answered in more detail below at the original post. I have shown how to do 1M and 0.1M Cu/Cu^2+.
Calculating the reduction potential for a solution like 1 M CuSO4 involves understanding the basic principles of electrochemistry. The reduction potential is a measure of the tendency of a chemical species to gain electrons and undergo reduction.
To calculate the reduction potential for 1 M CuSO4, you need to know the standard reduction potential for the Cu2+/Cu half-cell reaction. This value can be found in reference tables or online databases.
The standard reduction potential is referred to as E° and is measured at standard conditions: 25°C (298 K), 1 atm of pressure, and 1 M concentration for all species involved in the reaction.
The reaction for the Cu2+/Cu half-cell is written as follows:
Cu2+ + 2e- → Cu
To calculate the standard reduction potential for this reaction, subtract the standard reduction potential of the Cu electrode from the standard reduction potential of the Cu2+ ion. The standard reduction potential for the Cu electrode is zero (0 V), used as a reference. The standard reduction potential for the Cu2+ ion is typically found to be +0.34 V.
Therefore, the reduction potential for 1 M CuSO4 would be +0.34 V.
If you are conducting experiments at non-standard conditions, you would need to consider the Nernst equation:
E = E° - (RT/nF) * ln(Q)
where:
E = reduction potential at non-standard conditions
E° = standard reduction potential
R = gas constant (8.314 J/(mol∙K))
T = temperature in Kelvin
n = number of electrons transferred in the half-reaction
F = Faraday's constant (96485 C/mol)
ln = natural logarithm
Q = reaction quotient (concentration of species divided by their stoichiometric coefficients)
However, for a simple 1 M CuSO4 solution, the standard reduction potential of +0.34 V should suffice.