147k views
1 vote
Which of the following statements about "redox potential" is true?

(a) Redox potential is a measure of a molecule's capacity to strip electrons from
oxygen.
(b) For molecules that have a strong tendency to pass along their electrons, the
standard redox potential is negative.
(c) The transfer of electrons from cytochrome c oxidase to oxygen has a negative
redox potential.
(d) A molecule's redox potential is a measure of the molecule's capacity to pass
along electrons to oxygen.

1 Answer

3 votes

Final answer:

The true statement about redox potential is that molecules with a strong tendency to pass along their electrons have a negative standard redox potential, as this demonstrates their ability to act as electron donors.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question deals with the concept of redox potential, which is a measure within electrochemistry that reflects the tendency of a molecule to either donate or accept electrons during a redox reaction. Among the provided options, the correct statement about redox potential is (b) For molecules that have a strong tendency to pass along their electrons, the standard redox potential is negative. This is because compounds with a negative redox potential are more willing to donate electrons compared to hydrogen, which has a redox potential of zero.

Furthermore, electrons flow from compounds with negative redox potential to those with positive redox potential. This flow is driven by the loss of energy, which lends stability to the compound. Hence, a molecule with negative redox potential functions effectively as an electron donor in redox reactions.

User Dirk Groeneveld
by
7.2k points