Electrolysis

Lab report: Electrolysis

Aim: Identify which solutions are conductors of electricity and electrolytes.

Introduction

Electrolyte: The term electrolyte means that this ion is electrically-charged and moves to either a negative (cathode) or positive (anode) electrode.

- Ions that move to the cathode (cations) are positively charged.

- Ions that move to the anode (anions) are negatively charged.

Electrode: An electrode is a conductor that passes an electrical current between a metallic part and a nonmetallic part of a circuit. Found in variable forms, electrodes may be wires, plates, or rods.

Cathode:

• The cathode is the negatively charged electrode.

• The cathode attracts cations or positive charge.

• The cathode is the source of electrons or an electron donor. It may accept positive charge.

Anode:

• The anode is the positively charged electrode.

• The anode attracts electrons or anions.

• The anode may be a source of positive charge or an electron acceptor.

Materials

Beakers Electrode Solutions Power source

Diagram

Data Table

Solution Does it conduct? + Anode -Cathode

Sodium iodide (NaI) Yes Changed to a red-brownish color

Bubbles came out quickly

Ethanol (C2H5OH) Yes The color of the substance started changing to a orange color.

___________

Copper sulphate (CuSO4) Yes Bubbles appear quickly. Bubbles appeared slowly and pure copper is visible.

Potassium Bromide (KBr) Yes _____________ Pure potassium is visible and bubbles appeared slowly.

Sulphuric acid (H2SO4) Yes Bubbles are visible. Bubbles are visible.

Hydrogen Sulphate (H2SO4) Yes Bubbles fizz quickly Bubbles are released

Glucose ( C6H12O6) No ______________

______________

Sucrose (C12H22O11) No ______________ _______________

Calcium hydroxide (CaOH) Yes Bubbles appear quickly Bubbles fizzed quickly

Potassium Chloride (KCl) Yes Bubbles appear Sounds fizzy, colorless solution, bubbles

Discussion

Solution - Cathode + Anode

Sodium iodide (NaI) Hydrogen Iodine

Copper sulphate (CuSO4) Copper Oxygen

Potassium Bromide (KBr) Hydrogen Bromine

Sulphuric acid (H2SO4) Hydrogen Oxygen

Calcium hydroxide (CaOH) Hydrogen Oxygen

Potassium Chloride (KCl) Hydrogen Chlorine

After performing the experiment, some observations and common characteristics can be noticed. One aspect that we can observe was that several substances such as Sodium iodide, Potassium Bromide, Sulfuric acid, Calcium hydroxide and Potassium Chloride release hydrogen at the cathode.

This is because hydrogen is released from a highly reactive metal when electrolysis is going to occur. When the cathode is inserted into the solution one of the two ions has he to be attracted to the cathode since it has a negative charge and it attracts positive electrons, so the less stable ion is the one who is going to be attracted and in this case the less stable ion is hydrogen, consequently the hydrogen is released.

Copper Sulfate released pure copper. We can notice this due to the fact that the cathode slowly gets bigger while the anode gets smaller and smaller. As copper ions enter the solution at the anode, copper ions leave the solution at the cathode.

In addition, the solution of dilute sulfuric

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