Lesson 14.1.3

14.1.3 Feasibility, limitations and the electrochemical series Quiz: Pearson Edexcel Chemistry, Unit 14

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 14.1.3, Feasibility, limitations and the electrochemical series: 20 multiple choice questions for the Pearson Edexcel Chemistry (9CH0), Unit 14: Redox II, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. What is the electrochemical series?

    • A list of ionic radii for the Group 1 and Group 2 metals, ordered by increasing charge density
    • A list of half-cell masses arranged in increasing order, used to predict the mass of product formed
    • A list of hydration enthalpies for ions in aqueous solution, ordered from the least to the most exothermic
    • A list of standard electrode potentials ordered from the most negative to the most positive

  2. Which species is the strongest reducing agent in the electrochemical series?

    • The species that is a gas at 298 K
    • The species at the most negative end, which is most easily oxidised
    • The species with an E-zero value closest to zero
    • The species at the most positive end, which is most easily reduced

  3. Which species is the strongest oxidising agent in the electrochemical series?

    • The species at the most positive end of the series
    • The species with an E-zero value closest to zero
    • The metal with the highest reactivity
    • The species at the most negative end of the series

  4. When can a metal displace another metal from solution?

    • When it has a more positive E-zero than the other metal's ion
    • When it has a more negative E-zero than the other metal's ion
    • When it has a lower ionisation energy only, regardless of E-zero
    • When both metals have identical E-zero values

  5. What is a disproportionation reaction?

    • A reaction in which a species is only reduced to a lower oxidation state
    • A reaction in which two different ions combine to form a precipitate
    • A reaction in which a catalyst is consumed
    • A reaction in which one species is simultaneously oxidised and reduced

  6. What is a key limitation of predicting reactions from E-zero values?

    • The electrochemical series applies only to solid reactants
    • E-zero values are only valid for gases
    • A feasible prediction always means the reaction is fast
    • They ignore kinetics, so a feasible reaction may be too slow to observe

  7. Which limitation applies when using E-zero values for a reaction carried out at concentrations far from 1.00 mol dm-3?

    • E values do not change for any non-standard condition
    • E values depend on the colour of the solution
    • E values are only valid above 1000 K
    • E values change with concentration

  8. Will Cu+ disproportionate in aqueous solution? (E-zero Cu+/Cu = +0.52 V, E-zero Cu2+/Cu+ = +0.15 V)

    • Yes, because E-zero cell = +0.15 V, the smaller potential
    • Yes, because E-zero cell = +0.37 V, which is positive
    • No, because E-zero cell = +0.67 V, which is strongly reversed
    • No, because E-zero cell = -0.37 V

  9. Which species is the strongest oxidising agent: Zn2+ (E-zero -0.76 V), Cu2+ (E-zero +0.34 V) or Ag+ (E-zero +0.80 V)?

    • Ag+, with E-zero +0.80 V
    • All three are equally oxidising
    • Zn2+, with E-zero -0.76 V
    • Cu2+, with E-zero +0.34 V

  10. Which is the stronger oxidising agent: Cr2O7^2- (E-zero +1.33 V, to Cr3+) or Fe3+ (E-zero +0.77 V, to Fe2+)?

    • Fe3+, because it is a cation
    • Cr2O7^2-, because its E-zero is more positive
    • Both are equally oxidising because both are ions
    • Fe3+, because its reduction is faster

  11. Will chlorine oxidise bromide ions under standard conditions? (E-zero Cl2/Cl- = +1.36 V, Br2/Br- = +1.07 V)

    • Yes, because E-zero cell = +0.29 V, which is positive
    • Yes, because E-zero cell = +2.43 V, which would make the oxidation of bromide very fast
    • No, because E-zero cell = -0.29 V, so chlorine cannot oxidise bromide ions under standard conditions
    • No, because E-zero cell = -2.43 V, which makes the reverse reaction spontaneous at 298 K

  12. Will bromine oxidise iodide ions under standard conditions? (E-zero Br2/Br- = +1.07 V, I2/I- = +0.54 V)

    • Yes, because E-zero cell = +0.53 V, which is positive
    • No, because E-zero cell = -0.53 V, so iodide ions reduce bromine under standard conditions
    • No, because E-zero cell = -1.61 V, which is too negative for bromine to react with iodide
    • Yes, because E-zero cell = +1.61 V, which means iodine would be reduced back to iodide at once

  13. Is the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide thermodynamically feasible? (E-zero H2O2/H2O = +1.77 V, O2/H2O2 = +0.68 V)

    • No, with E-zero cell = -2.45 V, so hydrogen peroxide is stable and cannot decompose spontaneously
    • Yes, with E-zero cell = +1.09 V, though the reaction is slow without a catalyst
    • Yes, with E-zero cell = +2.45 V, so the decomposition would be extremely fast without a catalyst
    • No, with E-zero cell = -1.09 V, so the decomposition cannot happen even in the presence of a catalyst

  14. Which species is the more easily reduced: Fe3+ (E-zero +0.77 V) or Sn2+ (E-zero -0.14 V, as Sn2+/Sn)?

    • Sn2+, because its E-zero is more negative
    • Both are equally easily reduced because both are cations
    • Neither, because both are cations that cannot be reduced
    • Fe3+, because its E-zero is more positive

  15. Which metal can displace hydrogen from dilute acid under standard conditions?

    • Copper, because its E-zero of +0.34 V is more negative than the SHE
    • Gold, because its E-zero of about +1.5 V is more negative than the SHE
    • Zinc, because its E-zero of -0.76 V is more negative than the SHE value of 0.00 V
    • Silver, because its E-zero of +0.80 V is more negative than the SHE

  16. A student says that any reaction with a positive E-zero cell will occur at a measurable rate. Which evaluation is best?

    • Correct, because E-zero cell and reaction rate are the same measure of how far a reaction proceeds
    • Correct, because a positive E-zero cell guarantees fast electron transfer between the two half-cells
    • Incorrect, because positive E-zero cells never occur in real reactions, only in theoretical models
    • Incorrect, because E-zero cell predicts feasibility only, and the rate depends on kinetics and conditions

  17. Why is an E-zero prediction for a reaction at 0.0010 mol dm-3 concentration less reliable than one at standard conditions?

    • Dilution makes all E-zero values more positive
    • Electrode potentials depend on concentration
    • E-zero predictions are always accurate at any concentration
    • Concentration affects only the rate of a reaction, never the E value

  18. Using E-zero(O2/H2O) = +1.23 V in acid and E-zero(Fe3+/Fe2+) = +0.77 V, what is the E-zero cell for O2 oxidising Fe2+?

    • +0.46 V
    • -0.46 V
    • +2.00 V
    • +0.20 V

  19. Metal X has E-zero -0.20 V and Y2+/Y has E-zero -0.40 V. Does X displace Y from a solution of Y2+?

    • Yes, because E-zero cell = +0.20 V, so X displaces Y from the solution of Y2+ ions
    • Yes, because E-zero cell = +0.60 V, which is large enough to make the displacement very fast
    • No, because E-zero cell = -0.20 V, so the displacement is not feasible
    • No, because E-zero cell = -0.60 V, so Y2+ is a stronger oxidising agent than X2+ in solution

  20. Why is a disproportionation reaction predicted by using E-zero values for the same species in two different half-reactions?

    • The E-zero values are averaged because the reaction is not defined
    • Disproportionation uses only the reduction potential, so no second value is needed
    • The species is the oxidant in one half-reaction and the reductant in the other
    • The species is an oxidant in both half-reactions, so the values are added

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