Research Question

What is the relationship between voltage and the rate of electroplating in an electrolysis of copper
sulphate?

Aim
To Investigate the effect of voltage on the amount of copper deposited on an iron nail electrode.

Introduction
One of the most common naturally occurring phenomena, rusting of metal is an example of a chemical
reaction, which is referred to as a redox reaction. An oxidation-reduction (redox) reaction is a type of
chemical reaction that involves a transfer of electrons from one reactant to another. Separating these two
terms, oxidation refers to the loss of electrons, whereas reduction refers to the other substance gaining the
electron lost during oxidation (Oxidation-Reduction Reactions, 2019). Accordingly, these reactions
accompany each other, and one cannot happen without the other as for an electron to be gained, there
must be a substance that has lost that electron.

A principal example of a redox reaction is an electrolysis, which involves a transfer of electrons from one
electrode to another. In an electrolysis, a transfer of electrons is done through the use of an electrolyte and
an electrical current from a power supply. An electrolysis is carried out in a special set of equipment called
an electrolytic cell, which included two electrodes, an electrolyte and an electric current running through
them. An electrolyte is a substance that contains free ions that conduct the electric current for the
electrolysis to take place. The electrodes are the conductors of electricity that provide a physical interface
between the power source and the electrolyte (Ross, n.d.). The electric current stimulates the flow of ions
in the electrolyte, which attract to the two electrodes, depending on the positive or the negative charge.
When the ions are attracted to the respective electrode, they either go through reduction or oxidisation. At
the cathode, the positive ions that attract to the metal are reduced to form a solid metal. Whereas, the
negative ions that flow to the anode oxidise the metal, converting it into an ion and therefore, dissolving
these ions in the electrolyte. These newly created ions than flow to the cathode and reduced to form a
solid metal and this process continues until the anode is fully dissolved.

An example of the uses of an electrolysis is electroplating a metal, where the electrical current is used to
plate one metal on another. There are many factors that can affect the rate of electroplating, which may
influence the fields that use this technique to increase the value or the quality of a surface. The
concentration of the electrolyte is a significant factor that can change the rate of electroplating as
increasing the concentration essentially just means increasing the amount of ions available in the solution
to react (Factors that affect the rate of electrolysis, n.d.). The distance between the two electrodes also
affects the rate, because if there is a shorter distance, the ions will not have to travel far, and they can get
attracted easily. The surface area of the electrode also affects the rate as an increase in the surface area
would mean and increase in the area available to react and thus, a more efficient reaction. One of the
principal factors that affect the rate of electroplating is the voltage of the power supply. Because, this will
allow an increase in the current travelling through the circuit, speeding up the flow of ions and the
electrons throughout the electrolytic cells.

Risk Assessment
Table 1: Risk Assessment of the experimental design

Equipmen Risk identified Management Strategy/PPE

t or
Chemical
Copper Copper sulphate is a severe eye irritant and can Ensure that proper PPE, such
Sulphate cause substantial damage to the eye. Inhalation of as safety glasses must be
copper sulphate can also cause respiratory worn.
irritation.
Glass Cuts from damaged or broken glass or cuts from Appropriate, closed-in
Beaker imploding glass. footwear, safety glasses and
lab coat must be worn. Before
use, all glassware should be
checked to ensure that it is
free from cracks or scratches
to prevent product failure.
Iron Nail The nails used were potentially sharp, which may Ensure that nails are handled
cause a cut or a bruise, if not handled properly. The properly, and the sharp tip of
nails may also be rusty, which may cause diseases the nail is not touched.
such as tetanus, if the nail is forced into the body.
Copper Fatal if swallowed or inhaled and may cause an Wear proper eye protection
strips allergic reaction or eye irritation through prolonged and lab coats.
exposure to the skin.
Crocodile May pinch the skin if the clip closes near the skin. Avoid putting fingers/skin
Clips near open clips.
Sanding May cause respiratory irritation if rust is inhaled. Ensure contaminated dust is
Rust disposed of immediately.
DC Power Shock or burn from contact with or proximity to a Appropriate earthing and
Supply live or charged conductor. Fires or explosions by insulation from the
ignition of flammable substances by electricity. conductors to prevent shocks.

Apparatus
 100 cm3 Beaker
 Iron nail
 Copper strip
 Two wires with crocodile clips on both ends
 100 ml 0.5 M copper sulphate solution
 DC Power Supply
 Sandpaper
 Weighing Scale

Method
1. The mass of the iron nail was measured and recorded for statistical use.
2. An electrolytic cell was set up inside a 100 ml beaker by substituting copper sulphate as the
electrolyte and iron nail (sandpapered to remove rust) and copper strips as the two electrodes.
3. It was ensured that the iron nail was connected to the negative terminal and the copper strip was
connected to the positive terminal of the power supply using the crocodile clips.

Figure 1: Electrolytic Cell

 4. The power supply was turned on for 10 minutes before the iron nail was taken out of the
electrolytic cell.
5. The aqueous copper sulphate on the iron nail was pat dried (to not remove the solid copper) using
a paper towel to ensure there was no error in the mass measurement.
6. The mass of the iron nail, electroplated with copper, was measured and recorded.
7. The steps 1-6 were repeated three times for each voltage tested.

Results
General Qualitative Results or Observations
Throughout the investigation, it was observed that the two electrodes produced a spark when they came
into contact with each other. There was also an error in the measurement of trial 5a, because the iron nail
was dropped on the ground, and the copper deposits separated from the nail. As a result, a tissue was
weighed on a balanced and then used to collect the copper from the ground to obtain the final
measurement.

Quantitative Results
Table 2: Raw Data

Trial # Voltage (± 0.5 V) Mass Stainless electrode (± 0.001 g) Mass stainless electrode + copper (± 0.001 g)

1a 2  0.788 0.840 

1b 2  0.794  0.819

1c 2  0.822  0.857

2a 4 3.111  3.098

2b 4 3.125  3.162

3a 6  3.132 3.347

3b 6  3.119 3.264 

4a 8 3.106 3.319
4b 8 3.117  3.407

4c 8 3.102  3.317

5a 10 3.106   3.313

5b 10  3.096  3.399
Table 3: Processed Data

Trial # Voltage (± Average Average Total Rate of ∆ Rate of

0.5 V) mass moles copper time for electroplating electroplating
Copper deposited. (± plating (± (mol/s) (* 10-6) (* 10-6 mol/s)
deposited 0.032 * 10-3 1 s)
(± 0.002 g) mol) (* 10-3)
1 2 0.037 0.59 600 0.98 0.054
2 4 0.037 0.58 600 0.97 0.054
3 6 0.18 2.83 600 4.72 0.060
4 8 0.239 3.77 600 6.28 0.063
5 10 0.255 4.01 600 6.69 0.064
mass
The values in the column labelled ‘Average moles copper deposited’ are calculate by the formula n= ,
Mr
where n represents the total amount of moles, mass represents the average mass of copper deposited on
the iron nail and Mr represents the molar mass of copper. For example, the data for 2 V has a mole value of:

0.037
mole=
63.55

∴ mole=0.59∗10−3
The absolute uncertainty of the ‘moles of copper deposited’ values is calculated by the formula
Δmol Δmass 0 Δmol Δmass
= + where represents the relative uncertainty of the final value value,
mol mass M r mol mass
0
represents the relative uncertainty of the mass of copper deposited. The refers to the uncertainty of
Mr
the molar mass, but, since the molar mass is a theoretical constant, it does not have any uncertainty
associated to it. For example, the data for 2 V has a mole uncertainty of:

Δmol Δmass 0
= +
mol mass M r

Δmol 0.002 0
= +
0.59∗10 −3
0.037 63.55

0.002∗0.59∗10−3
∆ mol=
0.037

∴ ∆ mol=0.032∗10−3
Δmol /s Δmol Δs
The uncertainty for the rate of electroplating is calculated by the formula = + , where
mol /s mol s
Δs Δmol
is the relative uncertainty of the total time for plating, is the uncertainty for the number of
s mol
 Δmol /s
moles deposited and is the relative uncertainty of the final rate of electroplating. For example, the
mol /s
rate of electroplating with 2V has an uncertainty of:

Δmol /s Δmol Δs
= +
mol /s mol s

Δmol /s 0.032∗10−3 1
= +
0.98∗10−6 0.59∗10−3 600

∴ ∆ mol /s=0.054∗10−6

Graph of Results
Figure 2: Voltage vs Rate of Electroplating
Rate of Electroplating (x 10-6 mol/s)

8
7 R² = 0.9
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Voltage (V)

Figure 3: Voltage vs Rate of Electroplating with removed anomalies

8
Rate of Electroplating (x 10 mol/s)

7
6 R² = 0.99

5
4
3
2
1
0
0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5
Voltage (V)

Analysis of Data
As illustrated in figure 2, rate of electroplating and voltage have a direct linear relationship. The correlation
coefficient has a value of 0.90, which suggests that these variables have a strong relationship. Although this
graph already has a high value for the correlation coefficient, if the data point with the x-value of 4 is
removed, the linear trendline is converted into a logarithmic relationship, and the r 2 value also increases
significantly. This is shown in figure 3 where the r 2 value is 0.99, compared to the previous value of 0.90,
suggesting that this specific data point is an anomaly, as removing it makes the data more precise.
Therefore, there is a possibility that there is a logarithmic relationship between voltage and rate of
electroplating if there is an error in that specific data point.

Discussion
This data suggests that as the voltage of the power supply increases, there is an increase in the rate of
electroplating. This direct relationship is very strong, assuring that there is definitely an association
between voltage and rate of electroplating. This is because as the voltage is increased, the current also
increases proportionally. The current increases the flow of electrons, which increases the attraction of
positive copper ions to the cathode and the negative sulphate ions to the anode. This suggests that there
are more ions able to react with the electrodes in a certain amount of time, which will increase the rate at
which these ions get reduced and oxidised. If the ions near the iron nail get reduced quicker, there will be
more copper solid depositing on that nail in the amount of time. This indicates that there will be a higher
mass of copper deposits on the iron nail and thus, increasing the overall rate of electroplating. The data
proves the background theory, but there are a plethora of errors that have decreased the accuracy of this
experimental design, indicated by the non-zero y-intercept.

Conclusion
The data strongly suggests that there is a positive relationship between the voltage and the rate of
electroplating. The data was reasonably precise and accurate to make a conclusion about this relationship.
This relationship is also proved in the theory as the voltage has a direct impact on the rate of flow of
electrons that impact the different charges created on the electrodes. If the electrodes are highly charged,
they are resistless and attracts more ions. This essentially results in the formation of more copper on the
iron nail, as there are more copper ions that are reduced and converted into solid copper.

Evaluation
Although the data already has a strong correlation with the trendline, it could still be improved by removing
some known sources of error. Firstly, a voltmeter could have been used to ensure that the D.C. power
supply is functioning appropriately, because if power supplies are overused, they have a higher tendency of
degradation, which can decrease accuracy as this is a type of systematic error. The precision of these data
points was also diminished as three trials were not conducted for some voltages. This reduces the
probability of the data being similar to the true value for the rate of electroplating. Additionally, as more
trials were done, it was observed that the copper strip was dissolving and diminishing in size. This reduces
the surface area of the electrode and reduces the amount of particles exposed to the electrolyte.
Therefore, it reduces the number of reactions between the electrode and the ions in a specific time, thus,
reducing the rate of reaction (Electrolysis, n.d.). This could be managed by using a new strip of copper for
every trial, which has a constant size. Furthermore, the distance between the electrodes may not have
been constant throughout the different trials, however this was intended to be a controlled variable. If the
distance between the two electrodes is varied, rather than constant, the ions will have to travel
accordingly. If the ions travel further at the same speed, the time that it takes them to travel is increased
and therefore, slowing the whole process, reducing the rate of electroplating. Whereas, if the distance is
decreased, the ions will have to travel less and therefore, increasing the rate of electroplating (Electrolysis,
n.d.). This could be treated by using an apparatus such as glue that can cling the two electrodes at the same
place for every trial to ensure a fair test. Moreover, when the iron nail was taken out of the electrolyte
lumps of copper that did not adhere to the nail dropped to the bottom of the beaker. This reduced the final
mass of the copper deposit as the dropped copper was not counted in the final mass. This could be
prevented by filtering the copper out of the electrolyte after every trial to ensure that all of the copper
deposits are measured.
References
Electrolysis. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-
chemistry/chapter/electrolysis/

Factors that affect an electrolysis reaction. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://easychem.com.au/shipwrecks-

and-salvage/3-electrolytic-cells/factors-that-affect-an-electrolysis-reaction/

Oxidation-Reduction Reactions. (2019, June 6). Retrieved from

https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Analytical_Chemistry/Supplemental_Modules_(Analytical_Chemis
try)/Electrochemistry/Redox_Chemistry/Oxidation-Reduction_Reactions

Ross, J. (n.d.). Redox (Oxidation-Reduction) Reactions. Retrieved from

https://study.com/academy/lesson/redox-oxidation-reduction-reactions-definitions-and-examples.html