(Originais Teachy 2023) - Question Medium of Chemistry

During a scientific expedition, you and your team are in the field and need to build an improvised stack using the materials available in nature. For this, you found pieces of zinc and copper, as well as aqueous solutions of copper sulfate (CuSO4) and zinc sulfate (ZnSO4). (a) Explain the process of redox reaction when assembling the improvised electrochemical cell, identifying the anode, cathode, the direction of electron flow, and the half-reactions that occur at each electrode. (b) Based on the knowledge of the half-reactions, determine the standard reduction potential of each electrode and then calculate the potential of the assembled electrochemical cell. (c) Describe the possible physical changes that the electrodes may undergo over time during the operation of the cell and the potential environmental impacts of waste production in this process.