Go and Eo for an electrochemical reaction to
derive the relationship between the standard-state cell potential and the equilibrium
constant for the reaction. Practice Problem 12
Use the relationship between Go and Eo for an electrochemical reaction to
derive the relationship between the standard-state cell potential and the equilibrium
constant for the reaction.
Answer
We can start with the equation that describes the relationship between the standard-state free energy of reaction and the standard-state cell potential for an electrochemical cell:
Go = -nFEo
We can then write the relationship between the standard-state free energy fo reaction and the equilibrium constant for the reaction:
Go
= - RT ln K
Substituting one of these equations into the other gives:
-nFEo = - RT ln K
We now multiply both sides of this equation by -1:
nFEo = RT ln K
Solving for the ln K term gives the following equation:
