Consider a galvanic cell with a beaker of sulfuric acid and a beaker of nitric acid. The sulfuric acid beaker contains a strip of tin, and the nitric acid cell contains a strip of platinum. A wire runs between the strips. The reaction that occurs is as follows:

3Sn(s) + 2NO3–(aq) + 8H+(aq) → 3Sn2+(aq) + 2NO(g) + 4H2O(l)

In three to five sentences, list which electrode is the anode and which is the cathode and the half reactions that occur at each electrode.

2 answers

I don't know why it takes three to five sentences to say Sn or Pt.
Remember two definitions:
1. Oxidation occurs at the anode of a cell.
2. Oxidation is the loss of electrons.
So all you need to determine is which half cell lost electrons and that MUST occur at one of the electrodes. Write the half cells, if you can't do it from the equation in the problem, and see which lost electrons.
drbob always getting ratio’d