CHEMICAL EFFECTS OF ELECTRIC CURRENT

CLASS 8

Conductors and insulators

• Conductors : Substances which allow electric current to pass through them are called conductors

• Insulators: Substances which does not allow electric current to pass through them are called
insulators.

Testing conductivity of substances: A conduction tester is a device used to determine whether a

substance is a good or poor conductor of electricity.

Conduction tester using a torch bulb :- A simple conduction tester has an electric cell and a torch
bulb. One terminal of the cell is connected to one terminal of the bulb by a wire. The other terminal
of the cell and bulb have wires which can be brought in contact with materials to test whether they
are good or poor conductors of electricity. If the material is a good conductor, the bulb glows and if
it is a poor conductor the bulb does not glow.

Electric current produces magnetic field : If a magnetic compass is kept near a wire and current
flows through the wire, the magnetic needle gets deflected. So we can use a magnetic compass
instead of a torch bulb or LED in the circuit. The magnetic needle gets deflected even if a weak
current flows in the circuit.

Electrical conductivity of solids :- Some solids are good conductors of electricity. Eg :- copper, steel,
iron, aluminium etc. Some solids are poor conductors of electricity. Eg :- wood, plastic, rubber, glass
etc.

Electrical conductivity of liquids :- Some liquids are good conductors of electricity. Eg :- tap water,
salt solution, hydrochloric acid, sodium hydroxide etc. (solutions of acids, bases and salts are
conductors of electricity) Some liquids are poor conductor of electricity . Eg :- distilled water, sugar
solution, kerosene, spirit etc.

How do liquids conduct electricity?

•Different substances when mixed in water and electricity is passed through them canbreak apart
and form positive and negative particles or ions in the water.
•These ions can pass the electric current through them.
•The more is the number of ions in a liquid the better conductor it is of electricity.
•That is why distilled water is a poor conductor of electricity but salt water is a goodconductor of
electricity.
•However, many compounds do not form any ions on mixing them with water and therefore they
are poor conductors of electricity such as sugar water, oil and alcohol.
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CLASS 8

Why LED bulbs are more suitable for testing the electrical conductivity of liquids?

•The electric current often causes heating effect due to which the filament of the bulb gets heated
up and glows.
•However, some liquids are capable of conducting electricity but they are weak conductors of
electricity. Hence current passes through them but it is not that strong enough to heat up the
filament. As a result, the filament would not light up in the case of such liquids.
•However, the LED bulbs can detect the flow of even a small amount of electric current as well.
Hence, LED bulbs are suitable for testing the electrical conductivity of liquids.
What is electrolysis?
The effect in which components of a compound get split due to passing an electric current through it
is called electrolysis.

What is an electrode?
An electrode is a conductor of electricity that can carry electric current into non-metals and other
poor conductors of electricity.
What is an electrolyte?
A solution that breaks into its ions on passing electricity through it is called an electrolyte.
Electrolytes are used in the process of electroplating.
What are an anode and cathode?
The positively charged electrode is called anode and the negatively charged electrode is called
cathode.
What are anions and cations?
An anion is a negatively charged ion and a cation is a positively charged ion.
Effects of an electric current

Effects of an electric current

•Heating effect: electric current causes heating of the electrical equipment. For example, the
filament of a bulb gets heated up due to electric current and therefore glows
•Mechanical effect: electric current can lead to generation of mechanical energy in appliances. For
example, fans and motors work due to this effect.
•Magnetic effect: electric current can give rise to the magnetic field of a substance.
CHEMICAL EFFECTS OF ELECTRIC CURRENT
CLASS 8

•Chemical effect: electric current can lead to the production of chemical energy or chemical
reactions.

Chemical effects of electric current :- When electric current passes through a conducting solution, it
causes chemical reactions. This is called chemical effect of electric current. Chemical effect of electric
current may cause :- i) Formation of gas bubbles at the electrodes. ii) Deposit of metal on the
electrodes. iii) Change in colour of the solution.

Electrolysis of water :- When electric current is passed through water, it splits up into hydrogen and
oxygen. This is called electrolysis of water. When electric current is passed through water oxygen gas
bubbles are produced at the electrode connected to the positive terminal of the battery and
hydrogen gas bubbles are produce at the electrode connected to the negative terminal of the
battery.

Electroplating :- The process of depositing a layer of any desired metal on another material by
means of electricity is called electroplating. Eg:- For electroplating of copper on an object, the object
is dipped in acidified copper sulphate solution and connected to the negative terminal of a battery. A
copper strip is dipped in the solution and connected to the positive terminal of the battery. When
electric current is passed through the solution, copper from the copper strip is deposited on the
object.

Uses of electroplating :- Electroplating is used in industry for coating metal objects with a thin layer
of a desired metal. Chromium has a shiny appearance and it does not corrode. Chromium plating is
done on objects like bicycle parts, car parts, taps, gas burners, wheel rims etc. Jewellery makers
electroplate gold and silver on less expensive metals to give an appearance of gold or silver. Tin cans
used for storing food are electroplated with tin over iron because tin is less reactive than iron and
protects iron from corrosion. Iron objects are coated with zinc to protect it from corrosion.

Process of electroplating
CHEMICAL EFFECTS OF ELECTRIC CURRENT
CLASS 8

•In order to conduct electroplating right electrodes and electrolytes must be chosen so that metal
can deposit over a material.

•For instance, if we want to deposit copper on a material we need an electrolyte that contains
copper in it. Similarly, if we need gold on a material we need an electrolyte that contains gold in it.

•Also, we should make sure that the electrode that we are choosing is completely clean.

•The electrodes used are made up of different materials. One of the electrodes is of the same metal
of which the electrolyte solution is. The second electrode needs to be the material on which we
want to coat another metal.

•For instance, in case we want to plate copper upon brass, one electrode should be of Copper and
the other electrode should be of Brass and the electrolyte solution

should be any salt which contains copper in it, for example, copper sulphate solution. Consider the
diagram given below that describes the process of electroplating of copper.

Electroplating of copper on brass

•Out of these two electrodes the copper electrode acts as the anode (positive electrode) and brass
electrode acts as the cathode (negative electrode).

•When electricity is passed through the solution, the copper sulphate breaks down into its ions.

•The copper ions (they have a positive charge) get attracted by the brass electrode while the sulphur
ions being negatively charged move towards the copper electrode.

•As a result, copper starts depositing on the brass electrode.

•The process of electroplating takes some time to complete.

•The amount of time that it will take depends upon the strength of the current that is being passed
through the circuit and also upon the concentration of the electrolyte.

•As these two are increased the speed of the electroplating process also increases.

Applications of electroplating
CHEMICAL EFFECTS OF ELECTRIC CURRENT
CLASS 8

•Medical equipment is made up of nickel which is harmful to the human body hence to avoid it from
coming in contact with our body a coating of platinum or gold is applied on the surface of nickel.

•Many kitchen equipment, bath taps, parts of cars etc. are covered with chromium coating.
Chromium is an expensive metal hence the objects are created with the cheaper metal
and chromium coating is provided. Thus, to bring a shining over the objects and prevent them from
corrosion chromium coating is used.

• Jewellery makers often make ornaments of less expensive metals and provide coating of gold or
silver upon them.

•The tin cans that are used to store food are actually made up of iron and have a coating of tin on
them. Iron can easily react with food and spoil it, however, tin prevents the food from getting
reacted with iron and therefore helps in preventing it from getting spoiled easily.

•Bridges and various parts of automobiles are made up of iron because it provides strength.
However in order to prevent iron from getting rusted a coating of zinc is provided over it. This
method is also called galvanization of iron.

Other applications of Chemical Effect of Electric Current

1. Extracting metals from their ores

Pure metals are extracted from metal ores with the process of electrolysis. Electricity is passed
through the metal ores and they get broken down into an ionic lattice and thus the metal is obtained
separately. For example, metals like aluminium, magnesium, potassium, sodium and calcium are
obtained from their ores in this way.

2. Purification of metals

The method of electrolysis is also used to purify a metal by separating it from the impurities. The
impure metal is used as an anode which first dissolves in the electrolyte solution and then deposits
on the cathode in the pure form. The impurities of the metal remain in the electrolyte solution only.
Metals like aluminium, zinc and copper are purified in this way.

3. Production of compounds

The electrolysis method is used for the production of some compounds. For example, sodium
hydrochloride

4. Decomposition of compounds

The electrolysis method is also used to decompose a compound into its constituents. For example,
water can be decomposed using the process of electrolysis to obtain hydrogen and oxygen.

WORKSHEET

1. Which of the following is the best conductor of electricity?

a) Distilled water b) Salt solution c) Sugar solution d) Vegetable oil
2. The process of depositing a layer of metal on another material using electricity is
called:
a) Electroplating b) Electrolysis c) Electrorefining d) Electrocasting
CHEMICAL EFFECTS OF ELECTRIC CURRENT
CLASS 8

3. Which of the following is used as an electrolyte?

a) Copper wire b) Carbon rod c) Sodium chloride solution d)
Plastic
4. In an electric circuit, which part helps to check if a liquid is a conductor?
a) Switch b) Bulb c) Fuse d) Battery
5. Electrolytes are:
a) Metals b) Non-metals c) Solutions that conduct electricity d) Insulators
6. Explain how pure water can be made a conductor of electricity
7. Why is electroplating done on various objects? Give two examples.
8. What happens to the electrodes during electrolysis?
9. Describe the observation when a tester is dipped into a solution of copper sulfate.
10. Write down two applications of the chemical effects of electric current.
11. Electroplating is used to ________________.
12. A substance that allows electric current to pass through it is called a
________________.
13. ________________ can be used to purify metals.
14. The process of passing electricity through a liquid to cause a chemical reaction is
called ________________.
15. The electrodes used in electrolysis are usually made of ________________.

16. Explain with a diagram how electrolysis works. Mention the terms anode, cathode, and
electrolyte in your explanation.
17. Discuss the process of electroplating with an example. Why is this process important in
industries?
18. Describe an experiment to show that lemon juice can conduct electricity. Explain the
observations.
19. How does the process of electrorefining work? Explain its importance with one example.
20. Explain how the chemical effects of electric current are used in the production of
hydrogen gas.
21. Read the following paragraph carefully and answer the questions:

"A metal factory is looking to produce a pure layer of copper on iron rods. They decide to use
electroplating. In the setup, they use a copper sulfate solution as an electrolyte, a copper plate
as the anode, and an iron rod as the cathode. After running the setup for a few hours, they
find a smooth layer of copper deposited on the iron rod."

Questions:
a) Identify the electrolyte, anode, and cathode used in the process.
b) Explain why copper gets deposited on the iron rod.
c) Why is it necessary to use pure copper at the anode?
d) Suggest one industrial use of this process.