Question

How is a standard reference electrode used to determine unknown${\text{E}}^{\text{o}}$ half-cell values?

Short answer

The Standard Hydrogen Electrode (SHE) with ${\text{E}}^{\text{o}}$half-cell $\text{= 0.0}$ is the standard reference electrode.

Step-by-step solution

Definition of standard reference electrode

An electrode with a known electrical potential is referred to as a standard reference electrode. The most typical application of a standard reference electrode is to determine the potential of another material in an electrochemical cell.

Determining the unknown  Eo half-cell values

The Standard Hydrogen Electrode (SHE) with ${\text{E}}^{\text{o}}$half-cell $\text{= 0.0}$ is the standard reference electrode. The SHE is assigned a value greater than O when electrodes force it to serve as an anode. SHE is given a value smaller than when electrodes force her to operate as a cathode