How many moles of electrons are involved in an electrolytic process if 3.07 amps are applied to the cell for
46.0 hours?
The answer is 5.27, but I'm not sure how to get there. Please help!
coulomgs = amps x sec
c = 46.0hrs x (60 min/hr) x (60sec/min) = ?
Then there are 96,485 coulombs in 1 mol of electrons.
?coulomgs x (1 mol/96.485) = ?
To determine the number of moles of electrons involved in an electrolytic process, you need to use Faraday's law of electrolysis, which relates the amount of substance involved in an electrolytic reaction to the quantity of electricity passed through the cell.
Faraday's law states that the amount of substance (in moles) is directly proportional to the charge passed through the cell (in coulombs) and the Faraday constant (F), which represents the charge of one mole of electrons.
The equation to calculate the number of moles of substance involved is given by:
moles of substance = charge (in coulombs) / (Faraday constant)
In this case, we want to find the number of moles of electrons involved. Since the charge passing through the cell is given in amps (A) and hours (h), we need to convert it to coulombs (C).
1 Ampere (A) = 1 Coulomb per second (C/s)
1 hour (h) = 3600 seconds (s)
So, in this case, to obtain the charge passed through the cell in coulombs, we multiply the current (amps) by the time (seconds):
charge (in coulombs) = current (in amps) × time (in seconds)
First, let's convert time from hours to seconds:
46.0 hours × 3600 seconds/hour = 165,600 seconds
Now, we can calculate the charge passed through the cell:
charge (in coulombs) = 3.07 Amps × 165,600 seconds
Next, we need to determine the value of the Faraday constant (F), which represents the charge of one mole of electrons.
The Faraday constant has a value of approximately 96,485 C/mol.
Finally, we can use Faraday's law to calculate the number of moles of electrons involved:
moles of electrons = charge (in coulombs) / Faraday constant
moles of electrons = (3.07 Amps × 165,600 seconds) / 96,485 C/mol
Simplifying the equation:
moles of electrons = 0.0531 moles ≈ 5.27 moles
Therefore, the number of moles of electrons involved in the electrolytic process is approximately 5.27 moles.