## Concentration and cell potential

$\Delta G^{\circ} = -nFE_{cell}^{\circ}$

504939134
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### Concentration and cell potential

Can someone please explain how concentration affects cell potential? And how Le Chatelliers principle plays a role in this?

Riya Sood 4G
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Joined: Sat Aug 24, 2019 12:18 am

### Re: Concentration and cell potential

Le Chateliers principle can be used to make some predictions.
1. When (reactant) > 1, we assume Ecell > Ecell (standard conditions)
2. When (product)>1, we assume E cell < Ecell (standard conditions)

Le-Chateliers principle is not useful because we cannot calculate cell potential from that method. As such, we use the Nernst equation which helps us calculate the cell potential for any concentrations under non-standard conditions.

Jiyoon_Hwang_2I
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Joined: Sat Sep 14, 2019 12:17 am

### Re: Concentration and cell potential

Changing the concentration of a solution will increase the concentration gradient between the two solutions, causing the voltage potential to increase. Since the two solutions are further away from equilibrium, Le Chatelier's principle will be implemented to bring the two solutions back to equilibrium.

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### Re: Concentration and cell potential

Think of how an increase in the concentration of reactants will increase the formation of products
The same will happen for Ecell. Ecell will increase

Robert Tran 1B
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Joined: Thu Jul 11, 2019 12:15 am

### Re: Concentration and cell potential

Another way to see cell potential is the potential of the cell to do work. If there is a greater difference between the concentrations of the reactants in a spontaneous reaction, it will be able to do more work.

DHavo_1E
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### Re: Concentration and cell potential

Riya Sood 4G wrote:Le Chateliers principle can be used to make some predictions.
1. When (reactant) > 1, we assume Ecell > Ecell (standard conditions)
2. When (product)>1, we assume E cell < Ecell (standard conditions)

Le-Chateliers principle is not useful because we cannot calculate cell potential from that method. As such, we use the Nernst equation which helps us calculate the cell potential for any concentrations under non-standard conditions.

Hello,

Can you explain how you got the observations above? Also, are standard conditions 1M and 25 degrees Celsius? Thank you!

Emily Chirila 2E
Posts: 112
Joined: Sat Jul 20, 2019 12:16 am

### Re: Concentration and cell potential

These observations come from Le Chatelier's Principle.

Increasing concentration of reactants leads to formation of products, thus Ecell will be larger than Ecell at standard conditions
Increasing concentration of products leads to formation of reactants, thus Ecell will be smaller than Ecell at standard conditions