Discussion for an experiment where the concentration of the anode is changed and the concentration of the cathode remains 1M

Question

I am a little confused about what background theory I should include for the discussion of the above experiment.

Any help would be appreciated.

Answer 1

You can talk about the Nernst Equation which shows the change the potential of the overall cell (remember that E₀ is based on 1M concentrations):

E = E₀ - RT/nF lnQ where Q is the equilibrium expression for the overall reaction. For a spontaneous reaction, E>0 and in an electrochemical cell, the concentration at the anode is a product. as a result Q will go up (the product is in the numerator) and this will make E<E₀ . The cell will build up product and will lose its potential (This must happen as the cell is used)