In hydrogen - oxygen fuel cell, combustion of hydrogen occurs to
- (A)generate heat
- (B)remove adsorbed oxygen from electrode surfaces
- (C)produce high purity water
- (D)create potential difference between the two electrodes✓ Correct
Answer: (D)
Solution
In a hydrogen-oxygen fuel cell the hydrogen is oxidised at one electrode and oxygen reduced at the other, and these two half-reactions set up a potential difference between the electrodes. That potential difference is what drives electrons round the external circuit to deliver electrical energy. Water and some heat come out as by-products, but the point of oxidising the hydrogen is to create the cell voltage.
JEE Main · 2004 · 24 Apr 2004 · Offline · Single correct option