Laboratory Report for Activity 4

Electrochemical Cells

Objectives of the Activity:

1. To gain a deeper understanding of the different types of Electrochemical Cells

2. To realize the importance of Electrochemical Cells in our daily lives

3. To tabulate the data and results observed from the simulations

Data and Results

Part I. Voltaic Cell

Voltaic Cell Anode Cathode Direction of e- E°cell Shorthand Cell

flow (Volts) Designation

Left: Ag Cu Ag From Cu to Ag 0.46 V Cu(s)/Cu2+(aq)+//

Right: Cu Ag+(aq)/Ag (s)

Left: Ag Zn Ag Zn to Ag 1.56 V Zn(s)/Zn2+(aq)//Ag+

Right: Zn (aq)+/Ag(s)

Left: Cu Zn Cu Zn to Cu 1.10 V Zn(s)/Zn2+(aq)//Cu2+

Right: Zn (aq)/Cu(s)

Questions:
1. What happened when you tried to reverse the cell by placing the Ag electrode in the

right beaker and the Cu electrode in the left beaker. (reverse of the Voltaic Cell #1).

Explain what you observe.

When they reversed the cell by placing the Ag electrode in the right beaker and

the Cu electrode in the left beaker it became -0.46, compared to when they were in the

opposite beakers. However, the flow of electrons still flows towards the Ag electrode.

2. How can you determine which one is the anode electrode and which one is the cathode

electrode?

You can determine which one is the anode electrode when it loses electrons or is

being oxidized. It is defined as the electrode where oxidation occurs. On the other hand,

you can determine which one is the cathode electrode when it gains electrons or is

being reduced, it is also where the reduction takes place.

3. What happens to the anode electrode? (Describe whether it dissolved into ions or

gained mass by metal accumulation).

The anode electrode is dissolved into ions during electrolysis because the anode

loses mass as the metal dissolves, or in other words, the anode is being oxidized.

4. What happens to the cathode electrode? (Describe whether it dissolved into ions or

gained mass by metal accumulation).

The cathode electrode gains mass by metal accumulation as copper is deposited,

or in other words, the cathode is being reduced.

5. For each of the three combinations in the above table, write a balanced half-cell reaction

(net ionic equation). Label each cell as “Oxidation reaction” and “reduction reaction”.

Then write the overall balanced redox reaction.

 Overall Balanced Equation: Cu(s)+ 2AgNO3(aq)=> Cu (NO3)2(aq) +2Ag(s)

Oxidation Reaction: Cu(s)=>Cu2+(aq) Reduction Reaction: 2Ag+(aq)+2e-=>2Ag

1
+2e- (s)

Net Ionic Equation: Cu(s)+ 2Ag(aq)+ => Cu 2+

(aq) +2Ag(s)

Overall Balanced Equation: Zn2+(s)+ 2AgNO3(aq) => Zn(NO3)2(aq) + 2Ag (s)

2 Oxidation Reaction: Zn(s)=>Zn2+(aq) Reduction Reaction: 2Ag+(aq)+2e-

+2e- =>2Ag(s)

Net Ionic Equation: Zn(s)+ 2Ag+(aq) => Zn2+(aq) + 2Ag (s)

Overall Balanced Equation: Zn(s) + Cu(NO3)2(aq) => Zn(NO3)2(aq) + Cu(s)

3 Oxidation Reaction: Zn(s)=>Zn2+(aq) Reduction Reaction: Cu2+(aq)+2e-=>Cu(s)

+2e-

Net Ionic Equation: Zn(s) + Cu2+(aq) => Zn2+(aq) + Cu(s)

Assume that the H2|HCl half-reaction is assigned a voltage of 0.0 V, compute for the E°red of

the ff. half cell reactions:

Ag++ 1e- Ag(s) Cu2+ + 2e- Cu(s) Zn2+ + 2e- Zn(s)

E°Cell= E°Reduction-E°Oxidation E°Cell= E°Reduction-E°Oxidation E°Cell= E°Reduction-E°Oxidation

 +0.80V= E°unknown-E°Reference +0.80V= E°unknown-E°Reference -0.76V= E°unknown-E°Reference

+0.80V= E°unknown-(0.00V) (+0.34V)=E°unknown-(0.00V) -0.76V= E°unknown-(0.00V)

E°unknown= +0.80V+0.00V E°unknown= +0.34V+0.00V E°unknown= -0.76V+0.00V

= +0.80V = +0.34V = -0.76V

Part II. Electrolytic Cell

Electroplating Initial Mass of Final Mass of Mass of Cu

Set Cu and Fe in Cu and Fe in deposited on Fe

grams grams in grams

Set 1: Cu = 9.802 g 0.198 g

Current: 2.00 A 10.00 g Fe = 10.198 g

Voltage: 2.00 V

Time: 5.00 mins

Set 2: 0.594 g

Current: 2.00 A 10.00 g Cu = 9.406 g

Voltage: 2.00 V Fe = 10.594 g

Time: 15.00 mins

Set 3: 0.396 g

Current: 4.00 A 10.00 g Cu = 9.604 g

 Voltage: 2.00 V Fe = 10.396 g

Time: 5.00 mins

Set 4: 0.198 g

Current: 2.00 A 10.00 g Cu = 9.802 g

Voltage: 1.00 V Fe = 10.198 g

Time: 5.00 mins

Questions:

1. Is electroplating a spontaneous reaction or does it require energy? Explain your answer.

Electroplating is a nonspontaneous reaction that requires energy or a voltage source to

work. This is because Electrolytic cells are used to electroplate metals into surfaces, and

this electrolytic cell is an example of a nonspontaneous reaction.

2. What attracts the Cu onto the Fe electrode?

This is the basis of copper plating, as well as plating with any metal from a salt solution.

The positive electrode attracts negative sulfate ions SO42- (from copper sulfate) or

traces of hydroxide ions OH– (from water).

3. State the direction of electron flow through the circuit.

 By convention, the direction of an electric current is the same as the movement of a

positive charge. The current in the external circuit is thus directed away from the

positive terminal of the battery and toward the negative terminal. Electrons would move

in the opposite direction through the wires.

4. Calculate the mass of Cu deposited in the Fe electrode for the four electroplating set by

taking into consideration the moles of electrons involved in the transfer (Remember

1mole electron = 9.648 x 104 Coulomb and the molar mass of Cu is 63.546g/mol). Show

your calculations. (ngita pamig source hihi)

5. What is the effect of voltage in the electroplating process?

The force that drives the current through the circuit is known as the cell voltage,

commonly known as the E.M.F (electromotive force). It is expected that increasing the

voltage in the circuit will result in an increased rate of electroplating the metal since

more current will be able to flow freely throughout the circuit.

Part III. Hydrogen Fuel Cell (Proton Exchange Membrane)

Watch this video for the demonstration of how a hydrogen fuel cell works.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zgx-PlDEKA

Answer the ff. Refer to the Table 19.1 of the lecture material for the value of the E°cell

Hydrogen Fuel Anode: H2 Cathode: O2

 Cell gas at anode: Hydrogen gas gas at cathode: Oxygen gas

Half-reaction H2 2 H+ + 2 e - O2 + 4 e - + 4 H + 2 H2O

The standard anode reaction:

The standard cathdoe reaction:

= 0.00V
= +1.23V

Over-all ECell= E°cathode- E°anode

reaction: = (1.23V) - (0.00V)

ECell = 1.23 V

Shorthand cell 2H2(g) + O2(g) ⟶ 2H2O(l)

designation
- H underwent Oxidation reaction & O underwent Reduction

reaction

Conclusion: (maximum of 5 sentences only)

We encounter electrochemical cells in all facets of our everyday lives from the disposable AA

batteries in our remote controls and the lithium-ion batteries in our iPhones to the nerve cells

strewn throughout our bodies. A simple electrochemical cell can be made from copper and zinc

metals with solutions of their sulfates. In the process of the reaction, electrons can be

transferred from the zinc to the copper through an electrically conducting path as a useful

electric current. The purpose of this experiment is to gain an understanding on electrochemical

cells. By observing the experimental process and setting up, we gain knowledge and

understanding of how electrochemical cells work.

SCRIPT: (PS: Dili nata magpractice ani uy kay kapoy HAHAH. Magverify lang ta ug content sa

ppt)

Part 1. - CORDERO (Si Christine naman naggawa sa ppt so di nalang siya magreport. sanaol)

Good day, ma’am and good day to my co-presenters! We are group 2 and we are about to

present how we conducted Experiment 4, which is about Electrochemical Cells. But first, the

objectives of this experiment is to:

1. To gain a deeper understanding of the different types of Electrochemical Cells

2. To realize the importance of Electrochemical Cells in our daily lives

3. To tabulate the data and results observed from the simulations

So basically, our objectives are mostly redirected to the importance and practicality of

electrochemical cells in our daily lives.

So for the Part I of the experiment, we simply watched the video of the simulation uploaded on

the Daigler. So we observed the simulations in the video and tabulated the data of our

observations. So the data are as follows:

For the first simulation, where on the left beaker we have our silver and silver nitrate solution.

While on the right beaker we have the copper and the copper nitrate aqueous solution. Next,

the on button was clicked, which resulted in 0.46 volts, and that is our cell potential for the
reaction. So as we observed, the anode for the reaction is the copper and the cathode is the

silver since the direction of the electrical flow is from the copper to the silver. Therefore our

shorthanded Cell Designation for this is the one you can see on the most right column on our

table, where the oxidation comes first which is the copper, then separated by the salt bridge,

then the reduction, which is the Iron

- Cu(s)/Cu2+(aq)+//Ag+(aq)+/Ag (s)

Now for the second simulation, where on the left beaker we have our silver and silver nitrate

solution. While on the right beaker we have the Zinc and the Zinc nitrate solution. Next, the on

button was clicked, which resulted in 1.56 volts, and that is our cell potential for the reaction.

So as we observed, the anode for the reaction is the Zinc and the cathode is the silver since

the direction of the electrical flow is from the Zinc to the silver. Therefore our shorthanded Cell

Designation for this is still seen at the table, where the oxidation comes first which is the zinc,

then separated by the salt bridge, then the reduction, which is the Iron

- Zn2+(s)/Zn(aq)//Ag+(aq)+/Ag(s)

Now for the third simulation, where on the left beaker we have our copper and copper nitrate

solution. While on the right beaker we have the Zinc and the Zinc nitrate solution. Next, the on

button was clicked, which resulted in 1.10 volts, and that is our cell potential for the reaction.

So as we observe the anode for the reaction is the Zinc and the cathode is the copper since the

direction of the electrical flow is from the Zinc to the copper. Therefore our shorthanded Cell

Designation for this is on the table, where the oxidation comes first which is the zinc, then

separated by the salt bridge, then the reduction, which is the Copper.
 - Zn(s)/Zn2+(aq)//Cu2+(aq)/Cu(s)

And now that we are done with the simulation, it’s now time to answer the questions for Part 1.

For the first question, What happened when you tried to reverse the cell, by placing the silver

electrode in the right beaker and the copper electrode in the left beaker. So, when they

reversed the cell by placing the Ag electrode in the right beaker and the Cu electrode in the left

beaker it became -0.46, compared to when they were in the opposite beakers, which is at

+0.46. However, the flow of electrons still flows towards the Ag electrode. And this goes for the

rest of the reactions, where the cell potential of the reversed reaction results only in the

negative of the original cell potential.

For the next question, How can you determine which one is the anode electrode and which one

is the cathode electrode? Well, You can determine which one is the anode electrode when it

loses electrons or is being oxidized. It is defined as the electrode where oxidation occurs. On

the other hand, you can determine which one is the cathode electrode when it gains electrons

or is being reduced, it is also where the reduction takes place.

For the third question, what happens to the anode electrode? Well, The anode electrode is

dissolved into ions during electrolysis because the anode loses mass as the metal dissolves, or

is being oxidized.

For the fourth question, What happens to the cathode electrode? So this is basically the

opposite of the answer a while ago, where this time, The cathode electrode gains mass by

metal accumulation as the metal is deposited, or in other words, the cathode is being reduced.
For the fifth question, We were asked to get the balanced overall reaction or the net ionic

equation of the reactions. And since the table is already provided on your screens, I will just be

explaining the summary of the reactions.

So for the first one, as you can see, we first balanced the equation, then separated them into

half-reactions where the copper undergoes the oxidation reaction and the Silver underwent

Reduction reaction. And after we remove the spectator ions and balanced everything out, we

arrive with the net ionic equation as you can see with our table.

For the next one, we still balanced the equation first, then separated them into half-reactions

where the zinc undergoes the oxidation reaction and the Silver underwent the Reduction

reaction. And after we remove the spectator ions and balanced everything out, we arrive with

the net ionic equation as you can see with our table.

And the same goes for the last one. The zinc is still the oxidation reaction and the copper is the

one who goes through the reduction reaction

And for the very last question for part 1, we are to assume that the hydrogen electrode half-

reaction is assigned a voltage of 0.0 V, so we are asked to compute for the cell potential of the

reduction reactions of the ff. half cell reactions.

So we used the standard half cell potentials to obtain what was asked in the problem. To do

that, we used the standard reference half cell, which is the hydrogen electrode at zero volts.
And using the formula: cell potential is equal to the cell potential of the reduction minus to the

cell potential of the oxidation, we were able to obtain the values:

- Positive 0.80 volts for the iron cell potential of the reduction

- Positive 0.34 Volts for the copper cell potential of the reduction

- And negative 0.76 volts for the zinc cell potential of the reduction

As you can see from the table.

And that is all for Part 1: Voltaic Cell.

Part 2. - GAMBONG & JAUOD

James:

Now that we are done on the 1 st part of the experiment, let’s now move on to the next one.

The second part 2 of this experiment is all about electrolytic cells. To provide prior knowledge

about electrolytic cells, it is a cell in which electrolysis occurs, consisting of an electrolyte through

which current from an external source is passed, by a system of electrodes, in order to produce an

electrochemical reaction or a cell consisting of an electrolyte, its container, and two electrodes, in

which the electrochemical reaction between the electrodes and the electrolyte produces an electric

current.

Proceeding to the experiment, we are instructed to:

 1. Construct a copper electroplating cell by placing the copper electrode in the red wire

(left side) and the iron electrode in the black wire (right side) and dipping the whole set-up

in Copper Nitrate solution.

According to the video lecture given:

2. We are to retain the mass of both Cu and Fe metal electrodes at 10.00 g., which is

recorded in the lab report as the initial masses.

3. Then run the Electrolysis simulation at a current of 2.00 amperes at 2.00 V for 5.00

minutes.

4. And once the simulation is done, record the final masses of the copper and iron

electrode. Record the mass of Cu deposited in the Fe electrode by subtracting the final mass

of Fe with that of the initial mass.

This resulted in Copper's final mass, which is 9.802 and the iron’s is 10.198. Thus, it implies

that the mass of copper deposited on iron in grams is 0.198 grams.

5. Then we are also told to repeat procedures 1-4 and run the simulation with the ff.

set-up:

For Set 2: Current of 2.00 A, Voltage 2.00V and Time 15.00 mins

- The final mass of copper is 9.406 g while the iron’s is 10.564 g, which means

that the mass of copper deposited on iron is 0.594 g.

For Set 3: Current of 4.00 A, Voltage 2.00V and Time 5.00 mins

- The final mass of copper is 9.604 g while the iron’s is 10.396 g, which means

that the mass of copper deposited on iron is 0.396 g

For Set 4 Current of 2.00 A, Voltage 1.00V and Time 5.00 mins
 - The final mass of copper is 9.802 g while the iron’s is 10.198 g, which means

that the mass of copper deposited on iron is 0.198 g. The results in the fourth

set are actually equal to those from the 1 st set, while on the second and third

ones, there is a noticeable difference.

Part 3. - LABASAN

For Part 3, we are going to tackle how Hydrogen Fuel Cells work and their specific reactions illustrations.

To start off, what is a hydrogen fuel cell? Hydrogen fuel cells can be used in a wide range of applications,

providing power for applications across multiple sectors, including transportation, industrial buildings and

many more. So for the question how does hydrogen fuel cells work?

- Fuel cells are the main component where they take two compound materials and turn it into

electricity. So a hydrogen fuel cell is a device that takes hydrogen and oxygen and uses those 2 to

create electricity.

- But how exactly does this work, first on a fuel cell the hydrogen is the anode and the oxygen is

the cathode. To create electricity the hydrogen must meet up with the oxygen and react with it to

create water as a byproduct.

- But before that, let us take note that there are other internal components of a fuel cell, the

catalyst and the electrolyte, the electrolyte is a material that only lets positively charged things get

through it. Hydrogen is not positive, it's neutral because of the presence of 1 electron and 1 proton.

so it cannot get through the electrolyte there is however a solution which is the catalyst,

- Which is another internal component of the fuel cell. Now what the catalyst does in this case is

splitting off the electrons from the protons. so basically, the electrons of the hydrogen atoms are

removed from their protons. So now protons can get through the electrolyte, yet these are just

protons; they're not really hydrogen anymore so they can't react with oxygen and form water.
 - Take note that there are still electrons on the other side, we must transfer electrons to the

cathode with a wire. After transporting the electrons, protons and electrons can now link up and react

with oxygen and create water. You see when we transfer the electrons, there is electricity

For the half and overall reaction, I mentioned earlier that the Anode, in this case, is the Hydrogen gas

and the cathode is the oxygen gas. For the half-reactions, we balanced the hydrogen gas, and

according to the values of the Ecell, it is 0 volts. We balanced the equation for the oxygen gas and the

hydrogen gas, resulting in a value of 1.23V for the Ecell. Next, for the overall reaction, we used the

formula E cathode – E anode to get the overall reaction, therefore 1.23 volts – 0 volts, we get a total

of 1.23 volts for our voltage output for the hydrogen fuel cell.

Conclusion. - MACOY