Below are the reduction half reactions for chemolithoautotrophic nitrification, where ammonia is a source of electrons and energy and oxygen is the terminal electron acceptor.
NO2- + 6e- -> NH4+ (+0.34 volts)
O2 + 4e- -> 2H2O (+0.82 volts)
Using the information given, calculate the ΔE for this reaction, balance the full reaction to determine the n, the number of electrons transferred when 193 moles of NH4+ are oxidized. Finally, use the simplified Nernst Equation
ΔG = -nFΔE, where F = 96.5 kJ (mol e- × V)-1
to determine the Gibbs Free energy available to do work!
