The Nernst equation Gr0 depends only on the initial and final states of the chemical reaction (standard

Gibbs free energies of reactants products, taking into account the stoichiometries), not on the mechanism of the reaction (ie. the route taken), see figure 2.1.1 below.

Gr0 depends only on the initial and final states of a chemical reaction not the mechanism of the
reaction. For the general cell reaction: aA + bB cC + dD The deviation of the Gibbs Free Energy from Gr0 at any point before or during a chemical reaction is given by: G = Gr0 + RTloge(aCcaDd/aAaaBb) with the activities usually approximated by concentrations. A shorthand way of representing the activities or concentration terms is Q, where Q = aCcaDd/aAaaBb or [C]c[D]d/[A]a[B]b and [i] is the concentration (in mol dm-3) of species i. Hence: G = Gr0 + RTlogeQ The reaction reaches equilibrium when G = 0, hence: Gr0 = -RTlogeK K = aCcaDd/aAaaBb From equations G = Gr0 + RTloge(aCcaDd/aAaaBb), Gr = -zFE and Gr0 = -zFE0 EN = E0 (RT/zF).logeQ Which is the Nernst equation. 5A