Aluminum is produced by the electrolysis of aluminum oxide (Al2O3, bauxite ore) dissolved in molten cryolyte (Na2AlF6). Calculate the mass of aluminum that can be produced in one day in an electrolytic cell operating continuously at 1.0 x 105 amps. The cryolite does not react

To calculate the mass of aluminum that can be produced in one day, we need to determine the amount of charge passed through the electrolytic cell and then use Faraday's Law to convert it into mass.

1. Determine the amount of charge passed:

Given that the electrolytic cell operates at a current of 1.0 x 10^5 amps and assuming it operates continuously for 24 hours in a day, we can calculate the charge passed using the formula:

Charge (Coulombs) = Current (Amps) x Time (Seconds)

Since 1 day = 24 hours = 24 x 60 x 60 seconds, we have:

Charge = (1.0 x 10^5 A) x (24 hours x 60 min x 60 s)

2. Convert charge to moles:

Since we are interested in the production of aluminum, we need to convert the charge into moles using Faraday's Law of Electrolysis. Based on the balanced chemical equation for the electrolysis of aluminum oxide:

4 Al^3+ (aq) + 6 e^- → 4 Al (s)

It requires 6 moles of electrons to produce 4 moles of aluminum. The Faraday's constant, F, represents the charge required to convert 1 mole of electrons and is equal to 96,485 Coulombs per mole of electrons.

Moles of aluminum = (Charge / F) x (4 moles / 6 moles of electrons)

3. Calculate mass:

The formula mass of aluminum (Al) is 26.982 g/mol. Therefore, we can calculate the mass of aluminum produced by multiplying the moles of aluminum by its molar mass:

Mass of aluminum = Moles of aluminum x Molar mass of aluminum

By following these calculations, you can determine the mass of aluminum that can be produced in one day in the given electrolytic cell.

# coulombs = amps x seconds = 1E5 x (24 hr/day) x (60 min/hr) x (60 sec/min) = ?

96,485 coulombs will electrolyze approx 27/3 g Al (atomic mass Al/3) and I'll call that 9 g Al but you should look up the atomic mass Al and go from there.
So g Al = 9 g Al x (# coulombs/96,485) = ?