Tuesday, January 17, 2023

Electrolytic cell & Faraday’s law of Electrolysis

Electrolytic cell & Faraday’s  law of Electrolysis 


Electrolytic cell & Faraday’s  law of Electrolysis
Electrolytic cell & Faraday’s  law of Electrolysis 


Contents

Electrolytic cell

Faradays law of electrolysis

Definition of Electrolysis

Faradays constant

Faradays First and second laws of electrolysis

Difference between Galvanic and Electrolytic cell

Electrolytic cell

By passing an electric current through the system, it is possible to create a cell that actually operates on a chemical process. They are known as electrolytic cells.

An electrolytic device that employs electrical energy to induce a non-spontaneous redox reaction is known as an electrolytic cell. Certain chemicals can be electrolyzed using electrolytic cells, which are electrochemical cells. For instance, water can be electrolyzed to create gaseous oxygen and gaseous hydrogen with the use of an electrolytic cell. To do this, the non-spontaneous redox reaction's activation energy barrier is overcome by leveraging the flow of electrons (into the reaction region).

In that they both need a salt bridge, have a cathode and anode side, and have a steady flow of electrons from the anode to the cathode, so, electrolytic cells are extremely similar to voltaic (galvanic) cells. But the two cells also differ dramatically from one another.

The following are the three essential parts of electrolytic cells:

i.Cathode

ii.Anode

iii.Electrolyte

The cathode and anode exchange electrons through a medium that is provided by the electrolyte. In electrolytic cells, molten sodium chloride and water with dissolved ions are two common electrolytes. An electrolyte, commonly an ionic chemical that has been dissolved or fused, is in contact with two metallic or electronic conductors (electrodes) that are held apart from one another. The electrodes become positively and negatively charged when connected to a source of direct electric current, respectively.

In the electrolyte, negative ions migrate to the positive electrode (anode) and transfer one or more electrons to it, creating new ions or neutral particles. In the same way, positive ions migrate to the negative electrode (cathode) and combine with one or more electrons, losing some or all of their charge and creating new, lower-charged ions or neutral atoms or molecules.

The two procedures combine to produce a chemical reaction in which the negative ions' electrons are transferred to the positive ions . The electrolysis of sodium chloride (common salt), which results in the formation of sodium metal and chlorine gas, is one example; the energy needed to drive the reaction forward is provided by the electric current. The manufacture of caustic soda and electrodeposition for metal plating or refinement are two other frequent uses of electrolysis.

Examples include are Downs Cell and Nelson cell.

Using an electrolytic cell, as shown below, it is possible to electrolyze molten sodium chloride (NaCl).

Electrolytic cell Example
 Electrolytic cell

Molten sodium chloride, which comprises dissociated Na+ cations and Cl- anions, is used to saturate inert electrodes. The cathode accumulates electrons and creates a negative charge when an electric current is introduced into the circuit. Now, the sodium cations are directed to the cathode, which is negatively charged. As a result, metallic sodium is created at the cathode. The chlorine atoms are brought to the positively charged cathode at the same time. As a result, chlorine gas (Cl2) is produced at the anode (with loss of 2 electrons, finishing the process). Below are the relevant chemical formulae and the general cell reaction.

Electrolysis of  molten sodium chloride

Thus, metallic sodium and chlorine gas can be produced by electrolyzing molten sodium chloride in an electrolytic cell.

The main use of electrolytic cells is to create oxygen and hydrogen gas from water. The technique of creating a thin protective layer of one metal on the surface of another metal, known as electroplating, is another noteworthy use of electrolytic cells. They are also employed in the process of removing aluminium from bauxite. It should be mentioned that electrolytic cells are virtually usually used in the industrial manufacture of high-purity aluminium, high-purity copper, and high-purity zinc.







Faraday's law of electrolysis

In 1833, Michael Faraday found that the amount of product generated or absorbed at an electrode during electrolysis and the amount of electrical charge Q that moves through the cell are always related in a straightforward way. Law illustrates the quantitative link between the amount of electrical charge or electricity passed and the substance collected at electrodes.

The half-equation, as an illustration

Ag++eAg

Above equation Informs us that 1 mol of e- must be provided from the cathode in order for 1 mol of Ag+ to deposit at cathode as 1 mol of Ag.

Electrolysis

A chemical change is induced by electrolysis, which involves passing an electric current through an electrolytic solution to stimulate the passage of ions. A liquid that conducts electricity is known as an electrolyte, or often a salt solution of metal. Electrolysis is the use of electric current to trigger a chemical process that is not naturally occurring.

Faraday Constant (F)

 We may multiply the charge per mole of electrons by the Avogadro constant to get the charge per electron since the negative charge on a single electron is known to be 1.6022 10-19 C. The Faraday Constant is this number, denoted by the letter F,

F = 1.6022 × 10–19 C × 6.0221 × 1023 mol–1 = 9.649 × 104 C mol–1

Faraday’s First Law of Electrolysis

It is stated that “The mass of a substance deposited at any electrode is directly proportional to the amount of charge passed.” Mathematically it can be written as

m Q          (i)

Here:

 “m” is the mass of a substance (in grams) deposited or liberated at an electrode. “Q” is the amount of charge (measured in coulombs) or it is the electricity passed during electrolysis

By converting the sign of proportionality in equation (i) it becomes as follows

m=ZQ

 where Z is the constant of proportionality. Measured in g/c stands for grams per coulomb. Alternatively, it is known as the electrochemical equivalent. Z is the mass of an object deposited at electrodes during electrolysis while passing one coulomb of charge.

Faraday’s Second Law   

It states that “the mass of a substance deposited at any electrode on passing a certain amount of charge is directly proportional to its chemical equivalent weight.” Or “when the same quantity of electricity is passed through several electrolytes, the mass of the substances deposited are proportional to their respective chemical equivalent or equivalent weight”. Mathematically it can be represented as follows

w E

 w = mass of the substance

E = equivalent weight of the substance

Second law is also written as follows

 w1/w2=E1/E2

The equivalent weight or chemical equivalent of a substance is defined as ratio of its atomic weight and its valency.

Equivalent weight=Atomic weight/Valency

 

Difference between Galvanic and Electrolytic cell

Difference between Galvanic and Electrolytic cell
Difference between Galvanic and Electrolytic cell

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