[greencatshomie]

Hello all!

Here’s the problem:

A voltaic cell is formed with one beaker containing a silver wire in a solution of AgNO3 and the other containing a nickel strip in NiCl2. Write the half reactions that occur in each cell.

I’m a little lost as to how I would go about writing these. The answer says

 Ag+ + e- > Ag
Ni > Ni2+ + 2e-

which I understand, however what determines silver as the species being reduced and nickel being oxidized? Why could they not be switched around?

Any help is greatly appreciated! Thanks 

[Borek]

Have you heard about activity series? Or have you checked their standard reduction potentials? There are tables with these (experimentally determined) values.

[greencatshomie]

Oh perfect! It makes sense now. Thank you so much