Reduction potentials

[MrFantastik]

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So I was taking a practice test yesterday and one of the questions was about a redox rxn between Zn and Cu (Daniel cell) and to put it into the shortened from. They didnt give a chemical equation or reduction table or anything. So one of the answers was:

Zn | Zn2+ || Cu2+ | Cu

and another answer was:

Cu | Cu2+ || Zn2+ | Zn

I pretty much just guessed between the two and got it right but are we expected to know reduction potentials? I can understand for things that are really far apart like F and Li but is there a way to figure out which of two metals is more likely to be reduced? Or is the Daniel cell just a cell that we're supposed to have seen often and have memorized? And if it is, then are there any others we should memorize?

thanks

 

[wall1two]

was it achiver by any chance? i just took the same test.

Zn has a full d and s subshell.. so it cant be reduced any further, Cu has a partly filled S so it can be reduced.

 

[glo1984]

I was about to answer this question but then I realized that you actually just took the DAT and killed it. The last thing you want right now is an answer to this question because you destroyeddddd the DAT.

 

[MrFantastik]

was it achiver by any chance? i just took the same test.

Zn has a full d and s subshell.. so it cant be reduced any further, Cu has a partly filled S so it can be reduced.

and Zn2+ has a full d subshell...makes sense now that you might be able to figure this out without a table of standard reduction potentials, thanks

and yea it was achiever

I was about to answer this question but then I realized that you actually just took the DAT and killed it. The last thing you want right now is an answer to this question because you destroyeddddd the DAT.

...yea i was hoping for an answer to this question BEFORE i took the DAT but oh well, it didnt show up on my test😀