Lab #16 – chem

Background information: Electrochemistry was the branch of physical chemistry that studies the
relationship between electricity, as a measurable and quantitative phenomenon, and identifiable
chemical change, with either electricity considered an outcome of a chemical change or vice
versa.
Title: electrochemistry
Aim: to determine the current flowing through an electroplating circuit.
apparatus

- Balance
- Nail
- Copper wire
- Copper sulphate solution
- Battery,12v
- Stop clock
- Connecting wire
- Scissors
- Beaker ‘

Variables:

Manipulated variable- the kind of:

metal

electrolyte

Controlled variable- ambient temperature

Responding variable-magnitude of applied current flowing through circuit.

Diagram:

Method:

All the necessary materials were gathered.

The copper wire was weighed using the digital balance.

The mass of the nail was weighed using the digital balance.
Two pieces of connecting wire was formed by using a pair of scissors.

Copper (II) sulphate solution was poured into a small beaker.

One end of a connecting wire was connected to the negative terminal of the battery and the other end
of the second piece of wire was connected to the positive terminal of the battery.

The copper wire, after being wrapped with connecting wire, was placed inside the beaker of Copper (II)
sulphate solution.

The connecting wire, attached to the positive terminal, was wrapped around the nail.

The nail was dropped into the CuSo4 solution.

The nail was removed after five minutes and its mass was taken.

Observations:

The copper wire was weighed using the digital balance. Its initial mass was 2.30g. The mass of the nail
was weighed using the digital balance which was 5.97g. Two pieces of connecting wire was formed by
using a pair of scissors. Copper (II) sulphate solution was poured into a small beaker. One end of a
connecting wire was connected to the negative terminal of the battery and the other end of the second
piece of wire was connected to the positive terminal of the battery. The copper wire, after being
wrapped with connecting wire, was placed inside the beaker of Copper (II) sulphate solution. The
connecting wire, attached to the negative terminal, was wrapped around the nail. The nail was dropped
into the CuSo4 solution. The nail’s color changed from dark brown to red brown after approximately 1
minute in the solution. The nail was removed after five minutes and its mass was taken which was 6.30g.

Photos:
Calculations:

Time taken for deposition= 300s

Initial mass of nail= 5.97g

Final mass of nail= 6.30g

Mass of copper deposited=

I) vm-um

=6.30g-5.97g

=0.33g

Initial mass of copper wire= 2.30g

Final mass of copper=2.15g

= 2.30g-2.15g

=0.15g

Water on nail= 0.33g-0.15g

=0.18g

Hence, the mass of copper deposited was 0.15g.

2) current flowing through the circuit=1.61A

Discussion:

Electrolysis was the process of chemical decomposition produced by passing an electric current
through a liquid or solution containing ions. Electroplating (also called electrodeposition) was
the deposition of a metallic coating onto an object by putting a negative charge onto the object
and immersing it into a solution which contains a salt of the metal to be deposited. The metallic
ions of the salt carry a positive charge and are attracted to the part. When they reach it, the
negatively charged part provides the electrons to reduce the positively charged ions to metallic
form. A direct current (DC) of electricity was passed through the solution, effecting the transfer
of metal ions onto the cathodic surface, plating the metal onto the item.

At cathode:
[insert equation]

At the anode:
[insert equation]
 Faraday's First Law of Electrolysis was stated that the chemical deposition due to the flow of
current through an electrolyte was directly proportional to the quantity of electricity (coulombs)
passed through it. Faraday’s second law of electrolysis was stated that, when the same quantity
of electricity was passed through several electrolytes, the mass of the substances deposited are
proportional to their respective chemical equivalent or equivalent weight. Using Faraday’s
second law of electrolysis was the current flowing the circuit was 1.61A.

Sources of error:
The flow of current fluctuates during the electrolysis and affects the accuracy of the calculations.
Some copper may have fallen off the cathode during electrolysis.
Precautions:
The electrodes were not allowed to touch during the experiment.
Always use calibrated instruments to take measurements.
Conclusion:
It was concluded that the current flowing through the electroplating circuit was 1.61A.