---
title: "A student constructs a galvanic cell under standard conditions at \\(298\\text{ K}\\) as shown in the diagram. The relevant reduction half-reactions and standard reduction potentials are given in the table below.  | Half-reaction | \\(E^\\circ\\text{ (V)}\\) | |—|—| | \\(\\text{Sn}^{2+}(aq) + 2e^- \\rightarrow \\text{Sn}(s)\\) | \\(-0.14\\) | | \\(\\text{Ag}^+(aq) + e^- \\rightarrow \\text{Ag}(s)\\) | \\(+0.80\\) |  Which of the following correctly identifies the cathode, the direction of electron flow through the external wire, and the standard cell potential, \\(E^\\circ_{\\text{cell}}\\), when the cell operates spontaneously?"
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url: "https://nerd-notes.com/ubq/121526/"
date_modified: "2026-08-23T05:05:03+00:00"
---

# A student constructs a galvanic cell under standard conditions at \(298\text{ K}\) as shown in the diagram. The relevant reduction half-reactions and standard reduction potentials are given in the table below.

| Half-reaction | \(E^\circ\text{ (V)}\) |
|—|—|
| \(\text{Sn}^{2+}(aq) + 2e^- \rightarrow \text{Sn}(s)\) | \(-0.14\) |
| \(\text{Ag}^+(aq) + e^- \rightarrow \text{Ag}(s)\) | \(+0.80\) |

Which of the following correctly identifies the cathode, the direction of electron flow through the external wire, and the standard cell potential, \(E^\circ_{\text{cell}}\), when the cell operates spontaneously?

A student constructs a galvanic cell under standard conditions at \(298\text{ K}\) as shown in the diagram. The relevant reduction half-reactions and standard reduction potentials are given in the table below.

| Half-reaction | \(E^\circ\text{ (V)}\) |
|---|---|
| \(\text{Sn}^{2+}(aq) + 2e^- \rightarrow \text{Sn}(s)\) | \(-0.14\) |
| \(\text{Ag}^+(aq) + e^- \rightarrow \text{Ag}(s)\) | \(+0.80\) |

Which of the following correctly identifies the cathode, the direction of electron flow through the external wire, and the standard cell potential, \(E^\circ_{\text{cell}}\), when the cell operates spontaneously?

![A grayscale schematic diagram of a galvanic cell consisting of two glass beakers connected by an inverted U-tube salt bridge and an external wire with a voltmeter. The left beaker contains a light gray rectangular solid electrode labeled \(\text{Sn}(s)\) immersed in a liquid solution labeled \(1.0\text{ M }\text{Sn(NO}_3)_2(aq)\). The right beaker contains a darker gray rectangular solid electrode labeled \(\text{Ag}(s)\) immersed in a liquid solution labeled \(1.0\text{ M AgNO}_3(aq)\). The inverted U-tube spans between the two beakers with its open ends submerged in the solutions, labeled \(\text{KNO}_3(aq)\text{ salt bridge}\). A solid black wire connects the top of the \(\text{Sn}(s)\) electrode to the top of the \(\text{Ag}(s)\) electrode, passing through a circle labeled \(\text{V}\) representing a voltmeter. No other particles, labels, text, or annotations appear.](https://nerd-notes.com/wp-content/uploads/ubq-frq-generated/stem-fig-1-1787461503-6eDE2I.jpg)

- **A.** Cathode: \(\text{Sn}(s)\); Electron flow: from \(\text{Ag}\) to \(\text{Sn}\); \(E^\circ_{\text{cell}} = +0.66\text{ V}\)
- **B.** Cathode: \(\text{Ag}(s)\); Electron flow: from \(\text{Sn}\) to \(\text{Ag}\); \(E^\circ_{\text{cell}} = +0.94\text{ V}\)
- **C.** Cathode: \(\text{Ag}(s)\); Electron flow: from \(\text{Ag}\) to \(\text{Sn}\); \(E^\circ_{\text{cell}} = +0.94\text{ V}\)
- **D.** Cathode: \(\text{Sn}(s)\); Electron flow: from \(\text{Sn}\) to \(\text{Ag}\); \(E^\circ_{\text{cell}} = +0.66\text{ V}\)

*The answer key and step-by-step explanation are available to logged-in users at https://nerd-notes.com/ubq/121526/*