Under which of the following conditions will a cell do the most work?

Question

a) Q/K < 1

b) Q/K = 1

c) Q/K > 1

d) E standard < 0

e) E standard = 0

pleeease explain. thanks!

Answer 1

Electrochemical cells perform work when electrons are transferred from one chemical substance to another, through a spontaneous reaction. When Q is less than K the forward reaction is spontaneous, so work can be harness from the reaction. So if Q is less than K:

Q (smaller)/ K (larger) &lt; 1  

The answer is A.