CAPITAL PUBLIC SCHOOL

SESSION- 2023-24

ROLL NUMBER- 56

CHEMISTRY PROJECT

TOPIC- ELECTROCHEMISTRY
SUBMITTED BY- SUBMITTED TO-
NAME:SHUBH VERMA ARUN JHA
CLASS-XII SCIENCE

CERTIFICATE
THIS IS TO CERTIFY THAT SHUBH VERMA OF CLASS-
XII SCIENCE OF CAPITAL PUBLIC SCHOOL HAS
SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED THE CHEMISTRY
INVERTIGATORY PROJECT ON THE GIVEN TOPIC
“ELECTROCHEMISTRY” AS PRESCRIBED BY THE
CBSE BOARD FOR THE ACADEMIC YEAR 2023-24. IT
IS FURTHER CERTIFIED THAT THE PROJECT IS
INDIVIDUAL WORK OF THE CANDIDATE.

EXTERNAL’S SIGNATURE:-
INTERNAL’S SIGNATURE:-
PRINCIPAL’S SIGNATURE:-
ACKNOWLEDGEMEN
T
I WOULD LIKE TO EXPRESS MY SPECIAL
THANK OF GRATITUDE TO MY TEACHER MR.
ARUN JHA AS WELL AS OUR PRINCIPAL MR.JAY
KRISHNA PANDEY WHO GAVE ME THE GOLDEN
OPPORTUNITY TO DO THIS WONDERFUL
PROJECT ON THE TOPIC
“ELECTTROCHEMISTRY” WHICH ALSO HELPED
ME IN DOING A LOT OF RESEARCH AND I CAME
TO KNOW ABOUT SO MANY NEM THINGS. I AM
REALLY THANKFULL TO THEM.

SECONDLY, I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO THANK MY

PARENTS AND FRIENDS WHO HELPED ME A
LOT IN FINALIZING THIS PROJECT WITHIN THE
LIMITED TIME FRAME.
 INDEX
Sr.No. TOPIC
1. INTRODUCTION
2. HISTORY
3. ELECTROCHEMICAL CELLS
4. STANDARD HYDROGEN POTENTIAL
5. NERNST EQUATION
6. CONCENTRATION CELL
7. BATTERY
8. LEAD-ACID BATTERY
9. FUEL CELL
10. CORROSION
 INTRODUCTION
Electrochemistry is the branch physical chemistry concerned with the
relationship between electrical potential difference and identifiable chemical
change. These reactions involve electrons moving via an electronically-
conducting phase (typically an external electrical circuit, but not necessarily, as
in electrolytic plating) between electrodes separated by an ionically conducting
and electronically insulating electrolyte (or ionic species in a solution).
When a chemical reaction is driven by an electrical potential difference, as in
electrolysis, or if a potential difference results from a chemical reaction as in
an electric battery or fuel cell, it is called an electrochemical reaction. Unlike in
other chemical reactions, in electrochemical reactions electrons are not
transferred directly between atoms, ions, or molecules, but via the
aforementioned electronically-conducting circuit. This phenomenon is what
distinguishes an electrochemical reaction from a conventional chemical reaction
History
Understanding of electrical matters began in the sixteenth century. During this
century, the English scientist William gilbert spent 17 years experimenting with
magnetism and,to a lesser extent,electricity. For his work on magnets, Gilbert
became known as “ Father of Magnetism”. He discovered various method for
producing and strengthening magnets.
In 1785, Charles-Augustin de Coulomb developed the law of electrostatic
attraction as an outgrowth of his attempt to investigate the law of electrical
repulsions as stated by Joseph Priestley in England.
In 1800, William Nicholson and Johann Wilhelm Ritter succeeded in
decomposing water into hydrogen and oxygen by electrolysis using Volta’s
battery. Soon thereafter Ritter discovered the process of electroplating. He also
observed that the amount of metal deposited and the amount of oxygen
produced during electrolytic process depend on the distance between the
electrodes. By 1801,Ritter observed thermoelectric currents and anticipated the
discovery of thermochemistry by Thomas Johann Seebeck.
By the 1810s, William Hyde Wollaston made improvements to the galvanic
cell. Sir Humphery Davy's work with electrolysis led to the conclusion that the
production of electricity in simple electrolytic cells resulted from chemical
action and that chemical combination occurred between substances of opposite
charge. This work led directly to the isolation of
metallic sodium and potassium by electrolysis of their molten salts, and of
the alkaline earth metals from theirs, in 1808.
In 1832, Michael Faraday's experiments led him to state his two laws of
electrochemistry. In 1836, John Daniell invented a primary cell which solved
the problem of polarization by introducing copper ions into the solution near the
positive electrode and thus eliminating hydrogen gas generation. Later results
revealed that at the other electrode, amalgamated zinc (i.e.,
zinc alloyed with mercury) would produce a higher voltage.

ELECTROCHEMICAL CELLS
An electrochemical cell is a device that produces an electric current from energy
released by a spontaneous redox reaction. This kind of cell includes
the Galvanic cell or Voltaic cell, named after Luigi Galvani and Alessandro
Volta, both scientists who conducted experiments on chemical reactions and
electric current during the late 18th century.
Electrochemical cells have two conductive electrodes (the anode and the
cathode). The anode is defined as the electrode where oxidation occurs and
the cathode is the electrode where the reduction takes place. Electrodes can be
made from any sufficiently conductive materials, such as metals,
semiconductors, graphite, and even conductive polymers. In between these
electrodes is the electrolyte, which contains ions that can freely move.

 Galvanic cell
The galvanic cell uses two different metal electrodes, each in an
electrolyte where the positively charged ions are the oxidized form of the
electrode metal. One electrode will undergo oxidation (the anode) and the
other will undergo reduction (the cathode). The metal of the anode will
oxidize, going from an oxidation state of 0 (in the solid form) to a
positive oxidation state and become an ion. At the cathode, the metal ion
in solution will accept one or more electrons from the cathode and the
ion's oxidation state is reduced to 0. This forms a solid metal
that electrodeposits on the cathode. The two electrodes must be
electrically connected to each other, allowing for a flow of electrons that
leave the metal of the anode and flow through this connection to the ions
at the surface of the cathode. This flow of electrons is an electric current
that can be used to do work, such as turn a motor or power a light.
A galvanic cell whose electrodes are zinc and copper submerged in zinc
sulfate and copper sulphate, respectively is known as a Daniell cell.
The half reactions in a Daniell cell are as follows:
Zinc electrode (anode): Zn(s) → Zn2+(aq) + 2 e−
Copper electrode (cathode): Cu2+(aq) + 2 e− → Cu(s)

In this example, the anode is the zinc metal which is oxidized (loses
electrons) to form zinc ions in solution, and copper ions accept electrons
from the copper metal electrode and the ions deposit at the copper
cathode as an electrodeposit. This cell forms a simple battery as it will
spontaneously generate a flow of electric current from the anode to the
cathode through the external connection. This reaction can be driven in
reverse by applying a voltage, resulting in the deposition of zinc metal at
the anode and formation of copper ions at the cathode.

Standard hydrogen potential

To allow prediction of the cell potential, tabulations of standard hydrogen
electrode are available. Such tabulations are referenced to the standard
hydrogen electrode (SHE). The standard hydrogen electrode undergoes the
reaction
2 H+(aq) + 2 e− → H2
which is shown as a reduction but, in fact, the SHE can act as either the anode
or the cathode, depending on the relative oxidation/reduction potential of the
other electrode/electrolyte combination. The term standard in SHE requires a
supply of hydrogen gas bubbled through the electrolyte at a pressure of 1 atm
and an acidic electrolyte with H+ activity equal to 1 (usually assumed to be [H +]
= 1 mol/liter, i.e. ph = 0).

NERNST EQUATION
0 0.05916 v
ΔE= Δ E − log Q
n

The above given equation is known as NERNST EQUATION . This

equation was developed to determine the cell emf with the change in
concentration of solutions in anode or cathode.

Concentration cell
A concentration cell is an electrochemical cell where the two electrodes
are the same material, the electrolytes on the two half-cells involve the
same ions, but the electrolyte concentration differs between the two half-

cells

BATTERY
 Many types of battery have been commercialized and represent an
important practical application of electrochemistry. Early wet
cells powered the first telegraph and telephone systems, and were the
source of current for electroplating. The zinc-manganese dioxide dry
cell was the first portable, non-spillable battery type that
made flashlights and other portable devices practical. The mercury
battery using zinc and mercuric oxide provided higher levels of power
and capacity than the original dry cell for early electronic devices, but has
been phased out of common use due to the danger of mercury pollution
from discarded cells.

Lead – acid battery

The lead-acid battery was the first practical secondary (rechargeable) battery
that could have its capacity replenished from an external source. The
electrochemical reaction that produced current was (to a useful degree)
reversible, allowing electrical energy and chemical energy to be interchanged as
needed. Common lead acid batteries contain a mixture of sulfuric acid and
water, as well as lead plates. The most common mixture used today is 30% acid.
One problem, however, is if left uncharged acid will crystallize within the lead
plates of the battery rendering it useless. These batteries last an average of 3
years with daily use but it is not unheard of for a lead acid battery to still be
functional after 7–10 years. Lead-acid cells continue to be widely used in
automobiles.

FUEL CELL
A fuel cell is
an electrochemical cell that
converts the chemical
energy of a fuel
(often hydrogen) and
an oxidizing agent (often
oxygen) into electricity
through a pair of redox
reactions. Fuel cells are
different from
most batteries in requiring a
continuous source of fuel and
oxygen (usually from air) to
sustain the chemical reaction,
whereas in a battery the
chemical energy usually comes from substances that are already present in the
battery. Fuel cells can produce electricity continuously for as long as fuel and
oxygen are supplied.
The first fuel cells were invented by Sir William grove in 1838. The first
commercial use of fuel cells came almost a century later following the invention
of the hydrogen–oxygen fuel cell by Francis Thomas Bacon in 1932.
The alkaline fuel cell, also known as the Bacon fuel cell after its inventor, has
been used in NASA space programs since the mid-1960s to generate power
for satellites and space capsules. Since then, fuel cells have been used in many
other applications. Fuel cells are used for primary and backup power for
commercial, industrial and residential buildings and in remote or inaccessible
areas. They are also used to power fuel cell vehicles, including forklifts,
automobiles, buses, trains, boats, motorcycles, and submarines.

Corrosion
Corrosion is an electrochemical process, which reveals itself as rust or tarnish
on metals like iron or copper and their respective alloys, steel and brass.

Coinage metals such as copper and

silver, slowly corrode through use. A patina of green-blue copper
carbonate forms on the surface of copper with exposure to the water and carbon
dioxide in the air. silver coins or cutlery that are exposed to high sulfur foods
such as eggs or the low levels of sulfur species in the air develop a layer of
black silver sulphide.
Gold and platinum are extremely difficult to oxidize under normal
circumstances, and require exposure to a powerful chemical oxidizing agent
such as aqua regia.
Corrosion is deadly for any metal as it destroy the structural integrity of the
metal. Many have been developed to prevent metal from corrosion such as
painting the metal surface, sacrificial anodes(a metal which is more anodic is
attached to the metal which is to be protected).

FARADAY’S LAW
First law

Faraday concluded after several experiments on electric current in a non-

spontaneous process that the mass of the products yielded on the electrodes was
proportional to the value of current supplied to the cell, the length of time the
current existed, and the molar mass of the substance analyzed. In other words,
the amount of a substance deposited on each electrode of an electrolytic cell is
directly proportional to the quantity of electricty passed through the cell.
Second law
Faraday devised the laws of chemical electrodeposition of metals from solutions
in 1857. He formulated the second law of electrolysis stating "the amounts of
bodies which are equivalent to each other in their ordinary chemical action
have equal quantities of electricity naturally associated with them." In other
words, the quantities of different elements deposited by a given amount of
electricity are in the ratio of their chemical equivalent weights.
An important aspect of the second law of electrolysis is electroplating, which
together with the first law of electrolysis has a significant number of
applications in industry, as when used to protectively coat metals to
avoid corrosion.