Name _____________________

Class ______________

Date _________

Activity C29: Electroplating Faradays Law of Electrolysis

(Power Amplifier)
Concept

DataStudio

ScienceWorkshop (Mac)

ScienceWorkshop (Win)

Electrochemistry

C29 Electroplating.DS

C29 Electroplating

C29_ELEC.SWS

Equipment Needed

Qty

Equipment Needed

Qty

ScienceWorkshop 750 Interface

Patch cord (SE-9750)

Power Amplifier (CI-6552A)

Protective gear

PS

Alligator clip adapter (SE-9756)

Balance (SE-8723)

Chemicals and Consumables

Qty

Base and support rod (ME-9355)

Copper wire, heavy gauge

5 10 cm

Beaker, 1 L
Clamp, buret (SE-9446)

Copper (II) sulfate, 1 molar

250 mL

Metal spoon

Graduated cylinder

Towel, paper

What Do You Think?

Whatistherelationshipbetweenthemolesofcopperatomsoxidizedfromacopperwireandthe
numberofelectronsthatpassedthroughthewire?
TaketimetoanswertheWhatDoYouThink?question(s)intheLabReportsection.
Background

In1832,MichaelFaradayobservedthattheamountofsubstanceundergoingoxidation
orreductionatanelectrodeinanelectrochemicalcellduringelectrolysisisdirectly
proportionaltotheamountofelectricitythatpassesthroughthecell.Thisstatementis
knownasFaradaysLawofElectrolysis.Thequantitativeunitofelectricity,now
calledthefaraday,istheamountofelectricitythatreducesonegramequivalent
weightofasubstanceatthecathodeofanelectrochemicalcellandoxidizesonegram
equivalentweightofasubstanceattheanode.Thiscorrespondstothegainorloss,and
thereforethepassage,ofAvogadrosnumberofelectrons.
Thefaradayisequivalentto96,487coulombs(amperexseconds).
Theequationforthereductionofcopper(II)ionsatthecathodeis:
Cu2++2e>Cu
Onemoleofcopperionsneedstwomolesofelectronstoformonemoleofcopperatoms.
1moleofions+2molesofelectrons>1moleofatoms
63.55g(copperions)+2faradays>63.55g(copperatoms)
Fromthisequationweseethat63.55gramsofcopperplateoutontothecathodeforeverytwo
faradaysofelectriccharge.Ofcourse,thesameamountofcopperwouldoxidizefromtheanode.

C29

1999 PASCO scientific

p. 219

Chemistry Labs with Computers

C29: Electroplating

Student Workbook
012-07005A

FaradaysLawofElectrolysissuggeststhat31.77gramsofcopperplateoutfor96,487coulombs
(onefaraday)ofelectriccharge.

p. 220

1999 PASCO scientific

C29

Name _____________________

Class ______________

Date _________

SAFETY REMINDERS

Wear protective gear.

Follow directions for using the equipment.

Handle and dispose of all chemicals and solutions properly.

For You To Do

UsethePowerAmplifiertosendacurrentthroughelectrodes(acopperwireandametalspoon)
thatareimmersedinacoppersulfatesolution.UsetheDataStudioorScienceWorkshopprogram
torecordthecurrent,voltageandamountoftime.Measuretheamountofcopperthatoxidizes
fromthecopperwire(theanode).Usethesoftwaretointegrateunderthecurveofcurrentversus
timetodeterminetheamountofcharge.
Comparetheamountofchargetothemassofcoppertodeterminethefaraday.
PART I: Computer Setup

1.

ConnectaScienceWorkshop750interface
tothecomputer,turnontheinterface,and
turnonthecomputer.

2.

ConnecttheDINplugofthePower
AmplifiertoAnalogChannelAonthe
interface.DONOTturnonthePower
Amplifieryet.

3.

Openthefiletitledasshown;
DataStudio

ScienceWorkshop (Mac)

ScienceWorkshop (Win)

C29 Electroplating.DS

C29 Electroplating

C29_ELEC.SWS

TheDataStudiofilehasaGraphofcurrentversustime,aDigitsdisplayofcurrent,anda
SignalGeneratorwindow.ReadtheWorkbookdisplayformoreinformation.

TheScienceWorkshopdocumenthasaGraphdisplayofcurrentversustimeandaSignal
Generatorwindow.

Datarecordingissetatonemeasurementpersecond(1Hz)andwillstopautomaticallyat
3600seconds(60minutes).

C29

1999 PASCO scientific

p. 221

Chemistry Labs with Computers

C29: Electroplating

Student Workbook
012-07005A

TheSignalGeneratorissettooutput6.00VDC(directcurrent).TheON/OFFbuttonis
settoAutosotheSignalGeneratorwillstartautomaticallywhenyoustarttocollectdata
andstopautomaticallywhenyoustopcollectingdata.

p. 222

1999 PASCO scientific

C29

Name _____________________

Class ______________

Date _________

PART II: Sensor Calibration and Equipment Setup

YoudonotneedtocalibratethePowerAmplifier.

1.

Put250mLof1molarcoppersulfate,CuSO4,solutionintothebeaker.

2.

Carefullymeasureandrecordthemassofthepieceofheavygaugecopperwire.

3.

Useanalligatorclipadaptertoattachoneendofapatchcordtooneendoftheheavy
gaugecopperwire(theanode).Connectthepatchcordtothepositive(red)outputterminal
ofthePowerAmplifier.

4.

Attachoneendofanotherpatchcordtooneendofthespoon(thecathode).Connectthe
patchcordtothenegative(black)outputterminalofthePowerAmplifier.

5.

Useclampstosuspendtheheavygaugecopperwireandthespoononthesupportrods.
Positiontheendofthewireandthespoonsotheyareimmersedinthesolutioninthe
beaker.

To Power
Amplifier

To Power
Amplifier

Spoon

Copper Wire

Copper
Sulfate
Solution

C29

1999 PASCO scientific

p. 223

Chemistry Labs with Computers

C29: Electroplating

Student Workbook
012-07005A

PART III: Data Recording

1.

Whenyouarereadytobegin,turnontheswitchonthebackofthePowerAmplifier.

2.

Beginrecordingdata.(Hint:ClickStartinDataStudioorclickRECin
ScienceWorkshop).

ThePowerAmplifieroutputwillautomaticallystartwhendatarecordingbegins.

3.

Datarecordingwillcontinueforsixtyminutesandthenstopautomatically.

4.

Whendatarecordingiscomplete,turnofftheswitchonthebackofthePowerAmplifier.

5.

Carefullylifttheheavygaugecopperwirefromthesolutionandremovethepatchcord.

6.

Drythecopperwiresonocoppersulfatesolutionremainsonthewire.

7.

Carefullymeasureandrecordthenewmassofthecopperwire.

8.

Disposeofthesolutionasinstructed.

Analyzing the Data

1.

UsethebuiltinanalysistoolsintheGraphtofindtheareaunderthecurveofcurrent
versustime.

Hint:InDataStudio,clicktheStatisticsmenubutton(
)and
thenselectAreafromthemenu.InScienceWorkshop,clickthe
Statisticsbutton(
menubutton(

)toopenthestatisticsarea.ClicktheStatistics
)andselectIntegration.

2.

Recordthevaluefortheareaunderthecurrentversustimecurve.Thisisthenumberof
coulombs(ampereseconds)ofelectricity.

3.

Useyourdatatocalculatethenumberofcoulombsperfaraday.
Record your results in the Lab Report section.

p. 224

1999 PASCO scientific

C29

Name _____________________

Class ______________

Date _________

Lab Report - Activity C29: Electroplating

What Do You Think?

Whatistherelationshipbetweenthemolesofcopperatomsoxidizedfromacopperwireandthe
numberofelectronsthatpassedthroughthewire?

Data Table

Item

Amount

mass of copper before

mass of copper after

difference in mass

coulombs (Amps*sec)

Calculations

Calculatethenumberofcoulombsperfaradayusingthenumberofcoulombsofelectriccharge
andthedifferenceinmassofthecopperanode:

# coulombs
coulombs 31.77g
=

=
faraday
g
faraday

Questions

1.

Howdoesyourcalculatedvalueforafaradayofchargecomparetotheacceptedvalue?
measured accepted
100% .)
(Remember, percentdifference
accepted

Theacceptedvalueis96,487coulombsperfaraday.

2.

C29

Howwouldyourresultsbedifferentifyouhadusedasilverwireandasilversolutionto
silverplatethespoon?
1999 PASCO scientific

p. 225

Chemistry Labs with Computers

C29: Electroplating

p. 226

Student Workbook
012-07005A

1999 PASCO scientific

C29

Name _____________________

3.

Class ______________

Date _________

IfthePowerAmplifierproducedaloweraveragecurrentbuttheoveralltimeremainedthe
same,howwouldthiseffectthefollowingmeasurementorcalculations?

More

Same

Less

Mass of copper lost from the wire

Moles of electrons moving through the wire
Coulombs generated
The value of a faraday

4.

Youonlymeasuredthemasslostbythewire.Whatdoyouthinkwasthechangeinthe
massofthespoon?

5.

ThebluecolorofthecoppersulfatesolutionisduetotheCu+2inthesolution.Ifthe
experimentwouldcontinuetorunwellpastthesixtyminutes,whatwouldhappentothe
colorofthecoppersulfatesolution?Explainyourreasoning.

C29

1999 PASCO scientific

p. 227