For the voltaic cell represented by the cell \(3Cu + 2Au^{3+} \rightarrow 3Cu^{2+} + 2Au\). The value of n to be used in the Nernst equation is
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is option 4. 6.
The Nernst equation is used to calculate the cell potential of a voltaic cell. The equation is:
\(E= E^0 - \frac{0.0591}{n} log \frac{[Oxidant]}{[Reductant]}\)
where:
E is the cell potential at a given temperature and concentration
E° is the standard cell potential
n is the number of electrons transferred in the overall reaction
0.0591 is the Nernst factor
[Oxidant] is the concentration of the oxidized species
[Reductant] is the concentration of the reduced species
In the voltaic cell represented by the cell \(3Cu + 2Au^{3+} \rightarrow 3Cu^{2+} + 2Au\), there are a total of 6 electrons transferred in the overall reaction. This is because 3 Cu atoms are oxidized to 3 Cu2+ ions, and 2 Au3+ ions are reduced to 2 Au atoms.
Therefore, the value of n to be used in the Nernst equation is 6.