It's a measure of the energy change in a chemical reaction. If it's negative, the reaction happens spontaneously. Imagine it like this: if you push a ball off a hill, it'll roll down without you doing anything else. That's a spontaneous action!

• Equation time! ΔG⦵ = −nFE⦵ cell
  • ΔG⦵: Standard Gibbs energy change
  • n: number of electrons transferred
  • F: Faraday constant (a massive 9.65 ×10⁴ C/mol)
  • E⦵ cell: Standard cell potential

🤔 Real-World Example: Think of E⦵ cell as the 'potential energy' of a diver on a diving board. The higher the board (higher E⦵ cell), the more energy the diver has. If it's positive, the diver jumps spontaneously!

• F has units of C/mol.
• E⦵ cell is in volts, V.
• Fun fact: 1V = 1J/C
• Thus, ΔG⦵ is in J/mol. But we're fancy, so we often convert it to kJ/mol.

For the reaction 2H+(aq) + Zn(s) → Zn2+(aq) + H2(g)

• Given E⦵ cell = +0.76V.
• n = 2 (two electrons transferred).
• Using the equation, ΔG⦵ = −2 × (9.65 × 10⁴ C/mol) × 0.76 J/C = -147kJ/mol (rounded off).