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COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

Experiment No. 2
Electrochemical Cell:Voltaic Cell
I. Objectives
At the end of the experiment, the students will be able to:
1. describe voltaic cells,
2. differentiate anode and cathode, and
3. write the balanced redox equation using the half-reaction method in each electrodes.

II. Materials

 internet
 laptop/computer/cellular phone
 paper and pen

Introduction
Electrochemical cells involve the transfer of electrons from one species to another. In these
chemical systems, the species that loses electrons is said to be “oxidized” and the species that gain
electrons is said to be “reduced”. A species cannot gain electrons unless another has lost electrons and
vice versa. Oxidation and reduction go hand in hand. There are two major types of electrochemical cells:
voltaic (also galled galvanic) and electrolytic. Voltaic cells produce electricity by harnessing the energy
present in the flowing electrons. These reactions are spontaneous. Electrolytic cells use electrical energy
to drive a redox reaction that normally would not occur because it is nonspontaneous.
In this experiment, you will how voltaic cells work by performing a virtual experiment. III.

Procedures:
A.
1. Go to teachchemistry.org/classroom-resources/voltaic-cells
2. Click START
3. For the experiment setup, in the left beaker select "copper" and for the right beaker select "zinc"
4. Click ON
5. Click on "see molecular scale" for each beaker and the salt bridge to see what is occurring at the molecular
level and fill in the table below.

Anode Cathode
Metal
Direction of electron flow
 Site of oxidation or reduction
Change in mass (increase or
decrease)
Voltage Measurement
Half-reaction (write the equation)
Which beaker do the negative ions
in the salt bridge move to?
Which beaker do the positive ions in
the salt bridge move to?

B.
1. Repeat steps 3-5, but this time select “magnesium” in the left beaker and “copper” in the right beaker.

Anode Cathode
Metal
Direction of electron flow
Site of oxidation or reduction
Change in mass (increase or
decrease)
Voltage Measurement
Half-reaction (write the equation)
Which beaker do the negative ions
in the salt bridge move to?
Which beaker do the positive ions in
the salt bridge move to?

IV. Observations

V. Guide Questions
1. What is the function of the salt bridge?
2. What do electrons flow through?
3. In terms of atoms, ions and electrons, explain why the mass decreased at one electrode and increased
at the other.
4. What is difference between a positive voltage reading from a negative one?
5. If you made a new voltaic cell with Zn and Ag electrodes, what metal would be the anode and which
would be the cathode?
6. In this new cell, what electrode would be oxidized and which will be reduced?
7. In this new cell, what direction would electrons flow?
8. Write the half reaction that occurs at the anode and cathode.

VI. Conclusion

References:

Brown, T. E., LeMay, H. E. H., Bursten, B. E., & Murphy, C. (2014). Chemistry the central science 13th
Edition. Prentice Hall.

Chang, R. and Goldsby, K. (2016). Chemistry. McGraw- Hill International Edition. 12th ed.

Virtual Lab (NEW): Electrochemical Cells. Retrieved from: http://www.mrpalermo.com/virtual-lab-new-

electrochemical-cells.html