A concentration cell comprises two copper electrodes immersed in differing concentrations of copper(II) sulfate solution. Why does the electrode in the more dilute solution act as the anode?

💡 Explanation

The electrode in the more dilute solution acts as the anode because oxidation at that electrode increases the concentration of Cu2+ ions, counteracting the concentration difference; this drives the cell reaction. Therefore, oxidation must occur to balance the concentrations, rather than reduction dominating.

• An engineer replaces the C-Cl bond in chloromethane with C-F to form fluoromethane. Which effect dominates, given fluorine's greater electronegativity?
• An audio engineer uses a graphic equalizer to modify a music signal. Which process is responsible for attenuating certain frequency bands to eliminate feedback?
• A fluid dynamics simulation is run on a pipe system. Which effect results when the Reynolds number significantly exceeds the critical value?
• If an antenna is designed using theoretical electrodynamics to emit a radio wave at a specific frequency, which consequence follows from applying the Maxwell-Lorentz equations?
• A chemical engineer wants to design an exothermic reactor. Which outcome occurs when the enthalpy of the products is significantly lower than the enthalpy of the reactants?
• A fiber optic bundle transmits light signals; which process explains why increasing the bend radius beyond a threshold minimizes signal loss?