Description

Electroplating is a valuable industrial process that
allows metals to be plated onto other materials using
an electrical current. In this activity, an electrolytic cell
is used to electrolyze a solution of copper(II) sulfate.
A voltage source is connected to two copper strips,
and the strips are placed into the solution of copper
ions. The energy from the voltage source will cause
a redox reaction to occur within the cell. At one
electrode, copper(II) ions will be reduced to elemental
copper, and at the other electrode, elemental copper
will be oxidized to form copper(II) ions. By measuring
the initial and final masses of the two electrodes, the
amount of copper oxidized (and reduced) during the
experiment can be calculated. This data, together with
information about the amount of current that passed
through the cell, will be used to calculate values for
Avogadro’s number and the Faraday constant. Includes
materials for 15 setups.
Chemical Contents:
Copper Sulfate Pentahydrate
Copper Metal Strips
Sulfuric Acid Solution