CBSE 12th Chemistry Question Paper 2024 (Set 3)

Batteries and fuel cells are very useful forms of galvanic cell. Any battery or cell that we use as a source of electrical energy is basically a galvanic cell. However, for a battery to be of practical use it should be reasonably light, compact and its voltage should not vary appreciably during its use. There are two types of batteries: primary batteries and secondary batteries. In primary batteries, the reaction occurs only once and after use over some time the battery becomes dead and cannot be used again, whereas secondary batteries can be recharged. Generation of electricity from thermal plants is not a very useful method and it is a source of pollution. To solve this problem, such galvanic cells have been designed in which the combustion energy of fuels is directly converted into electrical energy, and these are called fuel cells. One such fuel cell was used in the Apollo space programme.

Batteries and fuel cells are very useful forms of galvanic cell. Any battery or cell that we use as a source of electrical energy is basically a galvanic cell. However, for a battery to be of practical use it should be reasonably light, compact and its voltage should not vary appreciably during its use. There are mainly two types of batteries primary batteries and secondary batteries. In the primary batteries, the reaction occurs only once and after use over a period of time the battery becomes dead and cannot be reused again, whereas the secondary batteries are rechargeable. Production of electricity by thermal plants is not a very efficient method and is a major source of pollution. To solve this problem, galvanic cells are designed in such a way that energy of combustion of fuels is directly converted into electrical energy, and these are known as fuel cells. One such fuel cell was used in the Apollo space programme.

The Valence Bond Theory (VBT) explains the formation, magnetic behaviour and geometrical shapes of coordination compounds whereas for coordination compounds is based on the effect of different crystal fields (provided by ligands taken as point charges), on the degeneracy of d-orbital energies of the central metal atom/ion. The splitting of the d-orbitals provides different electronic arrangements in strong and weak crystal fields. The crystal field theory attributes the colour of the coordination compounds to d-d transition of the electron. Coordination compounds find extensive applications in metallurgical processes, analytical and medicinal chemistry.