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Nagadu Bes
Nagadu Bes
Nagadu Bes
RATIONALE
For most people, electricity is a mysterious force that somehow magically appears when we flip
a light switch or plug in an appliance. Yet, while the science behind the flow of electricity is very
complex, the basics of electrical flow, or current, are easy to understand if you learn some key
terms and functions. It also helps to compare the flow of electricity through wires with the flow
In any electrochemical process, electrons flow from one chemical substance to another, driven
transferred from a substance that is oxidized to one that is being reduced. The reductant is the
substance that loses electrons and is oxidized in the process; the oxidant is the species that gains
electrons and is reduced in the process. The associated potential energy is determined by the
If you suffer a power outage that leaves you in the dark, and your flashlight is out of batteries,
you might find the energy to power the bulb in your refrigerator. An orange, lemon or lime can
act as a battery, and while a single one might not generate enough voltage to illuminate an LED
bulb, several wired in series will. Citrus fruits can do this because they contain citric acid, an
electrolyte that allows electricity to flow. The power actually comes from the electron exchange
between a pair of electrodes that you insert in the fruit pulp. For the exchange to be powerful
enough to do anything useful, you need a strong conducting medium, and citrus fruits –
Electrolysis is the use of an electric current for the progression of a certain chemical reaction.
Electroplating is the use of an electric current for the plating of a certain metal on a different
metal. Both these techniques are industrially used in the production of different equipment or
compounds. The main difference between electrolysis and electroplating is that electrolysis is the
There are many applications of electrolysis. One common application is the electrolysis of water.
Here, water is used as the electrolyte. Then the reaction of the breakdown of water molecules
An electrolyte is a substance that contains free ions and behaves as an electrically conductive
medium. Because electrolytes generally consist of ions in solution, they are also known as ionic
solutions. A strong electrolyte is one where many ions are present in the solution and a weak
electrolyte is one where few ions are present. Strong electrolytes are good conductors of
electricity and weak electrolytes are weak conductors of electricity. Non-electrolytes do not
conduct electricity at all. Conductivity in aqueous solutions is a measure of the ability of water to
conduct an electric current. The more ions there are in the solution, the higher its conductivity.
Also the more ions there are in solution, the stronger the electrolyte.
II. OBJECTIVES
Prove that electricity is flowing by making a light turn on and the chemical
Know how chemical reactions and electricity can be used to coat a metal with
Materials
• 2 Lemon • 2 Multimeter
• 2 Potato • 4 Leads
1. Take a copper strip and a zinc strip and sand them a little to make them shiny.
2. Take the lemon and squeeze it a little to release the juice inside.
4. Push the copper strip and the zinc strip into the lemon, parallel to each other so they do not
touch each other.
Now test the lemon or potato battery and note down the results.
3. Connect up a LED (small red bulb) to your lemon battery with the longer lead connected to
the positive terminal.
Materials
• 1 voltmeter
1. Cut a piece of thick cardboard to fit into the glass beaker to divide it into two.
2. Place a thin roll of cotton wool around the edge of the cardboard and slide it into the beaker.
3. Make up a solution of copper sulphate and zinc sulphate in separate containers, with a
4. Pour the two solutions, at the same time, into the two compartments formed by the cardboard
6. Place the copper plate in the compartment with the copper sulphate solution, and the zinc
sulphate solution.
1. Connect the zinc electrode to the copper electrode using a connecting wire and note down
3. Connect the two electrodes to a voltmeter; measure the voltage across the two electrodes.
4. Remove the voltmeter. Connect the two electrodes to an ammeter and a 100 ohms resistor.
5. Measure and note down the voltage across the resistor in the circuit.
6. After a few minutes, some substances begin to form on the copper electrode.
7. After some minutes the blue copper of the copper sulphate solution begins to fade.
ACTIVITY 3- ELECTROLYSIS AND ELECTRO-PLATING
Materials
• 1 beaker • 6V battery
• 150mL water
• 1 teaspoon
1. Add three teaspoons of copper (II) chloride to about 150mL of water into a 250mL beaker
2. Stir the solution until all of the copper (II) chloride dissolves.
3. Put two carbon rods into the solution for one minute.
4. Connect a 6V battery to the two carbon rods and look closely at what is taking place in the
solution.
5. After a few minutes, disconnect the battery and take out the two carbon rods.
1. Test each of the solid crystal substance by connecting them to a battery and seeing if you can
get a reading on an ammeter.
2. Test the liquid substances by connecting a battery to two carbon rods and placing them into the
liquids.
http://mocomi.com/electrolysis-and-electroplating/