GALVANIC CELLS AND THE CALCULATIONS OF CELL POTENTIAL LABORATORY 6 ELECTROCHEMISTRY Calculations

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GEORGIA MILITARY COLLEGENATURAL SCIENCE DEPARTMENTONLINE CAMPUSLABORATORY 6 – ELECTROCHEMISTRY: GALVANIC CELLS AND THE CALCULATIONS OF CELL POTENTIALNAMESTUDENT NUMBERCLASSPROFESSOR’S TITLE AND NAMEIntroductionConsider the result of immersing a clean copper wire into an aqueous silver nitrate solution. A spontaneous change occurs in which the solution turns from colorless to blue and the copper wire that was initially clean is covered with a greyish fuzzy material (Stubbs et al., 2022). These changes are a result of the processes of oxidation and reduction. Copper undergoes oxidation to produce copper (II) ions, Cu2+, (aq), which cause the clear solution to turn blue, while the silver (I) ions in the silver nitrate solution undergo reduction, producing elemental silver, which forms a greyish deposit on the copper wire (Stubbs et al., 2022). The copper metal undergoes oxidation and is thus referred to as the anode, while the silver undergoes reduction and is referred to as the cathode (Stubbs et al., 2022).Oxidation is the process by which an ion, atom, or molecule loses electrons during a chemical reaction, while reduction is the process by which atoms or ions gain electrons during a chemical reaction (Stubbs et al., 2022). The cathode is the electrode with lower electron potential, and hence, electrons flow towards it. Conversely, the anode has high potential and electrons flow away from it (Stubbs et al., 2022). Electrons are transferred spontaneously from the elementary copper wire to the silver ions in the solution (Stubbs et al., 2022). This is a redox reaction, which is a reaction characterized by changes in the reactants’ oxidation states (Stubbs et al., 2022).The overall redox reaction for the reaction between copper and silver can be represented as follows:2Ag+ (aq) + Cu (s) ?2Ag(s) + Cu2+ (aq)……………………………….(i)This equation can further be split into two half reactions that separate the reduction and oxidation reactions:Oxidation: Cu(s) ? Cu2+ (aq) +2e?……………………………………(ii)Reduction: 2Ag+ (aq) +2e? ?2Ag(s)……………………………………(iii)The reduction reaction (iii) is doubled so that the number of electrons gained in reduction equals that lost in oxidation.Now consider a case where the two electrodes (cathode and anode) are placed in separate containers and hence, there is no physical contact between the reactants. In such a case, electrons are transferred indirectly with the help of an external circuit connecting the two reactants (Stubbs et al., 2022). This kind of arrangement is an electrochemical cell characterized by the transfer of electrons from the cathode to the anode via an external circuit (Stubbs et al., 2022). An electrochemical cell in which the redox reaction is spontaneous is referred to as a galvanic or voltaic cell (Stubbs et al., 2022).Consider a zinc-copper galvanic cell as shown in figure 1 below:Figure 1: Zinc-copper galvanic cellThe two reactants (1M Cu(No3) and 1M Zn(No3) are placed in separate containers, and a clean copper and zinc rod placed in the two solutions respectively. The ends of both rods are connected using a wire to a voltmeter to create an external circuit joining the two containers. Thus, both rods serve as electrodes. At this point, however, there is negligible electron flow through the wire since the circuit is open. To close the circuit, a non-reactive, concentrated electrolyte solution, such as sodium chloride, is used as a salt bridge (Stubbs et al., 2022).

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The salt bridge is an inert solution used to provide electrical contact between the two containers. This reaction can also be represented by a cell notation as shown below:Zn(s)?1M Zn2+ (aq) ? 1M Cu2+ (aq)?Cu(s)Based on the above context, this laboratory seeks to realize the following objectives:i) To enhance understanding of the construction of, and principles behind galvanic cell.ii) To enhance understanding of spontaneous electrochemical reactions.iii) To…

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…undergo reduction to form gaseous Fe2+ ions (Lumen Learning, 2024). This ensures the right electrical neutrality in the right half-cell. The electrical neutrality in both half-cells due to the salt bridge ensures that current flows between the two compartments. The salt bridge provides the moving ions that transfer current in the galvanic cell. The reading on the voltmeter gives the cell potential, which is a measure of the voltage that exists between two half-cells in a galvanic cellConclusionThis laboratory sought to enhance understanding of the construction of, and principles behind galvanic cell, as well as spontaneous electrochemical reactions. The galvanic cell is based on the concepts of oxidation and reduction in the anode and cathode electrodes of the cell respectively. The galvanic cell is made up of two half-cells that are connected via an external circuit. Oxidation is the process by which an anode molecule, atom, or ion loses electrons, while reduction is the process by which the cathode gains electrons. This laboratory investigated the magnesium-iron galvanic cell. The left half-cell comprised of a magnesium anode rod immersed in an aqueous solution of magnesium chloride, while the right half-cell comprised of an inert platinum cathode immersed in an aqueous mixture of iron (II) and iron (III) chloride solutions. The salt bridge was a filter paper saturated with aqueous potassium nitrate solution. Since magnesium is more reactive than platinum, it donates electrons in the oxidation process, which leads the solid magnesium to dissolve and form aqueous magnesium ions. As a result, the mass of the anode rod reduces. The electrons flow to the cathode, where reduction of iron (III) ions takes place, leading to the formation of gaseous iron (II) ions. There is no change in mass of the inert platinum cathode. The movement of anions and cations from the salt bridge….....

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