A fuel cell designed to react grain alcohol with oxygen has the following net reaction:
C₂H₅OH(l) + 3O₂(g) → 2CO₂(g) + 3H₂O(l)
The maximum work that 1 mol of alcohol can yield by this process is 1320 kJ.What is the theoretical maximum voltage that this cell can achieve?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The maximum work that 1 mol of alcohol can yield by this process is 1320 kJ. The theoretical maximum voltage that this cell can achieve is:E = W/nFwhere E is the voltage, W is the work, n is the number of moles of electrons transferred, and F is the Faraday constant (96,485 C/mol).In this case, n = 12 (because 12 electrons are transferred in the reaction) and W = 1320 kJ = 1320000 J. Therefore,E = 1320000 J / (12 mol * 96485 C/mol) = 1.14 VSo the correct answer is A) 1.14 V.

A Fuel Cell Designed to React Grain Alcohol with Oxygen