Galvanic cell

[determined daisy]

Two different kinds of metal can be placed in a conducting solution to form galvanic cell,right?So one electrode of Na and one of chlorine can not make galvanic cell as chlorine is not a metal,right?

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[EParker37]

That would be difficult as chlorine exists as a gas at room temperature, but it could be part of a galvanic cell. Chlorine is a strong oxidizing agent, and has a standard electrode potential of like +2.05V or something along those lines. Anything with a potential lower than that could make a galvanic cell with chlorine, albeit a probably short lived one. Would you want to use chlorine? Definitely not, but you could. Galvanic cells are all about redox reactions and movement of electrons, it doesn't have to be just metals, but it is far more practical that way.

 

[determined daisy]

but it could be part of a galvanic cell.

How?

albeit a probably short lived one.

Why?

 

[EParker37]

How?

Why?

A galvanic cell is just a method of allowing a redox reaction to take place, the anode(-) is oxidized and the cathode(+) is reduced. Since chlorine is a very strong oxidizer, it will want to attract electrons, and thus would act like the cathode(+). However, due its nature as a strong oxidizer, and that it is a gas, it would very quickly become reduced and stop acting as the cathode, this is in theory, in practice, it would be very very difficult to use chlorine as part of a galvanic cell. Don't think of the cell in terms of metals, think of it in terms of oxidation and reduction potentials. You can use the Nernst equation to find the reduction potential of the half cell or the electromotive force of the full cell. Chlorine however can be produced by the reverse reaction, electrolysis. If you electrolyze brine, you can make chlorine gas.