Lecture –8 –

Electrochemistry
Electrochemistry is concerned with the chemical transformation produced
by the passage of electricity and with the production of electricity by
means of chemical transformation.

Electrochemistry provides into a large number of phenomenon:

1)The eorrosion of metals, refining of metals.

2)The interactions of ions in solution with each other and with the
solvent.

3)The electrolysis process.

There are two types of conductance:

1-Metalic or electronic conductance (Electronat)

2-Electrolytic conductance. (Ions)

Electrolytic solution:
(a) Electrolytes: substances which can be able to transport the electrical
current such as acids, bases and salts.

(b)Non electrolytes: substances which aqueas solution can't able to

transport the electrical current such as sugar, urea, alchol.

:‫لتوضيح هذين الصنفين‬

)‫ او حديد) مربوطين بمصدر كهربائي (بطارية‬،‫ نحاس‬،‫جهاز يتكون من قطبين من المعدن (فضة‬
‫) او مصباح كهربائي وذلك‬ammeter( ‫ويربط في الدائرة الكهربائية اما مقياس تيار كهربائي‬
‫ فعند تعليق االقطاب في الهواء يالحظ عدم سريان للتيار الكهربائي‬.‫للكشف عن التيار الكهربائي‬
‫ واذا اغمرنا القطبين في الماء النقي جدا فلن نالحظ سريان التيار وهذا‬.‫الن الدائرة غير متكاملة‬
‫يدل على ان الماء غير موصل عند اذابة المادة المراد فحصها في الماء فان كان هنالك تيار‬
‫ واذا لم يتوهج المصباح فان المادة غير‬،‫يستدل من توهج المصباح اي ان المادة موصلة للتيار‬
.‫موصلة‬

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Electrolytes can be divided in to:

1)Strong electrolytes.

2)Weak electrolytes.

Electrolysis process:
Two electrodes of carbon grafite dipped into NaCl fusion and connected to
the battery Na+ ion has positive charge (cation), move toward the negative
electrode and accepted an electron from it and transformed to sodium atom
(the electrode towards which the cations move is called the cathode and
process called Reduction).

Na+ + e Na

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For Cl- ion which has negative charge (anion) move towards the positive
electrode loss an electron and transformed to chloride gas Cl 2.

2 Cl- Cl2 + 2e- (oxidation reaction)

The electrode towards which the anion move is called anode and the
process happened called oxidation.

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Ohm's law:

I=

I: current strength (amper).

E: e.m.f. (volt)

R: resistance (ohm)

Electrolytic conduction:
L= *K

L: specific conductance.

C: conductance =

K: cell constant (cm-1)

Application of conductivity:
- Conductometric titration:

Titration of HCl with NaOH

(H+ + Cl-) + (Na+ + OH-) Na+ + Cl- + H2O

Electro-chemical cells:

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Advice which produce electrical work at the expanse of some physic-

chemical process going on inside it, is called (electrochemical or galvanic
cell).

-The chemical reaction inside the cell is called cell reaction.

-The potential difference which exists between the two electrodes of a cell
is called electromotive force (volt).

Daniell cell: two electrodes (zinc & copper) dipped into ZnSO4 and
CuSO4 solution.

Two solutions are separated by a porous partition.

Zn+2 + 2e Zn

Cu+2 + 2e Cu

E.M.F. = Eright - Eleft = 0.34 – (-0.76) = 1.10 volt

Zn Zn+2 Cu+2 Cu

Cu+2 + Zn Cu + Zn+2

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Nernst equation:

E=

= Eright - Eleft

E=

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Ex: Calculate the single electrode potential for copper metal in contact
with 0.1 M Cu+2 solution. for copper = 0.34 volt.

Cu+2 + 2e-

E= = 0.34 – = 0.31 volt

-Is it possible to measure the single electrode potential?

-To answer is no, we can't measure single electrode potential directly. It

can be measured indirectly by coupling the electrode whose single with
reference electrode. There are two types of reference electrode:

1.Primary reference electrode.

2.Secondary reference electrode.

-Primary reference electrode:

Hydrogen electrode (standard hydrogen electrode SHE).

for hydrogen electrode = 0

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