Question

To set up electrolytic cell that will cause reverse reaction to occur, must have battery with voltage ________ enough and attach electrode we want to reduce to _______ terminal of battery

Answer 1

To set up an electrolytic cell for a reverse reaction, you need a battery with a voltage greater than 0.74 V, attaching the electrode you want to reduce to the positive terminal.

Step-by-step explanation:

In an electrolytic cell, an external voltage is applied to drive a nonspontaneous reaction. To set up an electrolytic cell that will cause the reverse reaction to occur, you need a battery with a voltage greater enough than 0.74 V and you must attach the electrode you want to reduce to the positive terminal of the battery.

For example, in a galvanic Cd/Cu cell, applying an external voltage greater than 0.74 V in the reverse direction forces electrons to flow from the Cu electrode (now the anode) to the Cd electrode (now the cathode), causing the reduction of Cd²+.