How Does Ion Charge Affect Mass Deposition in Electrolysis?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the effects of ion charge on mass deposition during electrolysis, focusing on the relationship between ion charge, current, and the amount of metal deposited on the cathode. Participants explore the implications of their experimental findings and seek clarification on the underlying principles of electrolysis.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested
  • Experimental/applied

Main Points Raised

  • Adam describes his experiment involving electrolysis with three different electrolytes, each having ions with charges of +1, +2, and +3, and notes a trend where higher charge results in greater mass deposition.
  • Some participants question the lack of detailed experimental information, suggesting that understanding the currents and other conditions is crucial for interpreting the results.
  • Adam expresses uncertainty about whether higher charged ions have a higher mass or are more strongly attracted to the cathode, seeking clarification on these points.
  • Discussion includes the need for additional data, such as current readings and the specifics of the experimental setup, to better understand the observed trends.
  • Adam presents data from multiple tests, noting outliers and discussing how they affect the averages of moles deposited, raising questions about the linearity of the results.
  • Participants emphasize the importance of current measurements, suggesting that these are central to the experiment's conclusions.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the reasons behind the observed trends in mass deposition. There are multiple competing views regarding the interpretation of the data and the significance of the currents measured during the experiments.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include the omission of specific experimental details such as the exact currents for all tests, the power supply used, and the potential impact of electrode materials on the results. The discussion remains open-ended regarding the relationship between ion charge and mass deposition.

  • #61
More moles of iron than silver.
More mass deposited using iron than silver.
Higher current using iron than silver.
 
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  • #62
Wrong.
Wrong.
Right.

Charge is defined as the sum of the products of the numbers of charge carrying species with the numerical values of the charges on the species.

Try again.
 
  • #63
sorry this is over my head, its just guesses now. looking at my results, iron deposited more moles than silver and copper.
 
  • #64
We're working on your prediction which you are then going to compare to the results.

If cations are the only charge carrying species in solution, silver at +1, or iron at +3, at the same concentration, you predict three times the current. If you weigh the cathodes, divide by atomic weight to get number of moles, and compare the number of moles, is the number of moles of iron less than, equal to, or greater than the number of moles of silver?
 
  • #65
Silver - 0.033g / 108 = 0.000306moles

Iron - 0.110g / 56 = 0.001964moles

The number of moles of iron(1964) is greater than the number of moles for silver(306).
 
  • #66
I'm not even going to ask where those numbers came from.

One silver ion is reduced in time t; one ferric ion is reduced in the same time t. For silver, the current is one unit charge over t; for iron the current is 3 unit charges in the same time t, or three times greater current. The number of moles of silver is one over Avogadro's number; the number of moles of iron is ONE over Avogadro's number.
 
  • #67
those were the exact numbers out of my coursework table, look at the moles deposited table.
27x43dy.jpg
 
Last edited:

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