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VCE Stuff => VCE Science => VCE Mathematics/Science/Technology => VCE Subjects + Help => VCE Chemistry => Topic started by: psyxwar on May 05, 2013, 09:46:35 pm

Title: Galvanic Half Cell Notation
Post by: psyxwar on May 05, 2013, 09:46:35 pm
Hey guys, this is something that doesn't seem to make any sense to me. Can someone explain to me just how it works?

eg. a half-cell consisting of a silver chloride coated silver electrode dipping into an aqueous solution of sodium chloride has the reduction half reaction: AgCl(s) + e- ⇌ Ag(s) + Cl-(aq)

Why would it be represented as Cl-(aq) | AgCl(s), Ag(s)? How are the electrodes represented here? Maybe I'm trying to relate this to line equations, but it just isn't making sense for me. I can see how Zn(s) ⇌ Zn2+ + 2e- could be written as Zn(s)|Zn2+, but for the first example I can't really grasp it.

Thanks in advanced.