Question

Statement 1:
Every spontaneous redox reaction can be used as the basis of an electrochemical cell, yet every such electrochemical cell is not suitable for commercial purposes.

Statement 2: Electrochemical cells using salt bridges have high internal resistance and they lack the compactness and ruggedness for portability.

• A. Statement 1 is True, Statement 2 is False.
• B. Statement 2 is True, Statement 1 is False
• C. Both the statements are True.
• D. Both the statements are False.

Answer 1

The correct option is C Both the statements are True.

We have come to the commercial part of the chapter.
How do we use redox reactions as batteries?
Although every spontaneous redox reaction can be used as the basis of an electrochemical cell, yet every such electrochemical cell is not suitable for commercial purposes. This is because of the following two reasons:

1. Electrochemical cells using salt bridges have high internal resistance. As a result, if we try to draw large current from them, their voltage drops sharply.
2. They lack the compactness and ruggedness (rough handling) for portability.

There are other factors also like the portability, ruggedness and cost effectiveness of these cells.
An electrochemical cell to be used as a commercial cell must fulfill the following two requirements:

1. It should have the compactness, lightness, and ruggedness for portability.
2. Its voltage should not drop much during use, i.e., drop in voltage should be negligible over the small interval of time during which it is being put to use.

Now, we can see that statement 1 and 2 both are correct.