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Revision Notes Class 8 Science Chapter 14 - Chemical Effects of Electric Current

The document summarizes key concepts about conductors and insulators, electrolytes, electrolysis, and electroplating. It explains that metals and graphite are good conductors of electricity while non-metals are poor conductors. It also discusses how certain substances like acids, bases, and salts dissolve in water to form electrolytes, allowing the water to conduct electricity. Electrolysis is defined as the process where an electric current passes through an electrolyte, causing chemical changes and dissociation of ions. Electroplating is described as coating a material with a desired metal through electrolysis by using it as the anode. Some applications of electrolysis and electroplating are also highlighted.

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Arpit Sharma
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107 views

Revision Notes Class 8 Science Chapter 14 - Chemical Effects of Electric Current

The document summarizes key concepts about conductors and insulators, electrolytes, electrolysis, and electroplating. It explains that metals and graphite are good conductors of electricity while non-metals are poor conductors. It also discusses how certain substances like acids, bases, and salts dissolve in water to form electrolytes, allowing the water to conduct electricity. Electrolysis is defined as the process where an electric current passes through an electrolyte, causing chemical changes and dissociation of ions. Electroplating is described as coating a material with a desired metal through electrolysis by using it as the anode. Some applications of electrolysis and electroplating are also highlighted.

Uploaded by

Arpit Sharma
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Revision Notes

Class 8 Science
Chapter 14 – Chemical Effects of Electric Current

Conductors and Insulators:


● Electrical conductivity describes the ease with which current can flow in a
material.
● Materials in which it is very difficult for the current to flow through them are
called poor conductors of electricity. They have a very low value for electrical
conductivity. In general, non-metals are poor conductors of electricity.
● Materials in which current can flow easily are said to be good conductors. In
solids, metals and graphite are considered to be the good conductors of
electricity. They have high electrical conductivity values.

Liquid conductors:
● Like solids, some liquids can also conduct electricity. Pure or distilled water is a
poor conductor but when some impurities like salts, bases or acids are dissolved
in water then it starts conducting electricity.
● Such substances which when dissolved in water act as a conductor are called
electrolytes. Acids, bases and salts are the examples of electrolytes. These
substances are made when two oppositely charged ions are combined to form a
compound. Ions are atoms or molecules that carry either positive or negative
charge. When they are dissolved in suitable solvents such as water then they are
dissociated into their respective ions which become free to conduct electricity.
● Certain substances like acids, bases and salts when dissolved in water then the
water starts conducting electricity. This results in some chemical changes like
bubbles may form at the electrodes due to evolution of gases or the colour of a
solution may change. This is called the chemical effects of electric current.

Electrolysis:
● When current is passed through an electrolytic solution then a chemical change
is observed resulting in the dissociation of electrolytes into their constituent ions.
This process is called electrolysis.

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● For electrolysis to occur a setup called electrolytic cell is required. This cell
contains electrodes which are usually metal rods, they are dipped inside an acidic,
basic or salt solution to complete a circuit containing liquid conductors. These
electrodes are connected to batteries and a switch in between. A battery has a
positively and a negatively charged terminals. Based on which terminal an
electrode is connected it is classified as cathode (when connected to negative
terminal) and anode (when connected to positive terminal)

● Some Applications of electrolysis:


(i) It is used in the extraction and purification of some metals. The process is
called electrorefining.
(ii) It is used in electroplating.

Electroplating:
● Electroplating is the process of coating a material with a layer of any desired
metal using electric current.
● A sample that has to be coated is placed as the cathode in the electrolytic cell and
a desired metal which is to be deposited on the surface is placed as an anode.

Uses of electroplating:
(i) Chromium metal is electroplated on car parts, bath taps, kitchen gas burners
etc.
(ii) Electroplating of gold and silver is done on some less expensive metals.
(iii) Electroplating of tin is done on iron as tin is less reactive.
(iv) Electroplating if zinc on iron prevents it from corrosion.

Some other phenomenon of current:


● When the current is passed through the filament of the bulb it becomes hot and
starts glowing due to heating effect of the electric current.
● When a compass is brought near a wire conducting electricity, the needle of the
compass is deflected which indicates the presence of current in the wire. This is
called the magnetic effect of electric current.

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