sorry the first one didn't post properly
Lab: Electrolytic Cells
The purpose of this experiment is to test the method of stoichiometry in cells.
Materials:
balance
steel can
tin electrode
power source
wire lead (x2)
tin (II) chloride solution (3.25 M)
timer
large beaker
Analysis
What is the mass of the tin produced? Show all your work.
What is the theoretical mass of tin that should have been produced? Show all your work.
Determine the accuracy of your result, using a percentage difference and discuss any discrepancies. Show all your work.
It still didn't post.
To determine the mass of tin produced and the theoretical mass of tin that should have been produced in this electrolytic cell experiment, you will need to follow these steps:
Step 1: Understand the reaction taking place at the electrodes
In this experiment, the tin electrode is being oxidized, which means it is losing electrons and forming tin ions in solution. The tin ions then gain electrons at the steel can (cathode) and get reduced back to solid tin.
The half-reactions involved in this electrolysis process are:
At the anode (tin electrode): Sn(s) -> Sn2+(aq) + 2e-
At the cathode (steel can): Sn2+(aq) + 2e- -> Sn(s)
Step 2: Write the balanced equation for the overall reaction
Combining the two half-reactions, the net equation for the reaction can be obtained by canceling out the electrons:
2Sn(s) -> 2Sn2+(aq) + 2e- + 2e- -> 2Sn(s)
(net equation: 2Sn(s) -> 2Sn2+(aq))
Step 3: Calculate the number of moles of tin produced
To calculate the moles of tin produced, we need to use the balanced equation and the number of electrons transferred in the reaction. From the balanced equation, we see that 2 moles of electrons produce 2 moles of tin:
2 moles Sn = 2 moles e-
1 mole e- = Faraday's constant (F) = 96500 C
Given that the current (I) and time (t) are provided, you can calculate the number of moles of electrons using the formula:
moles e- = (I * t) / (n * F)
where I is the current in amperes (A), t is the time in seconds (s), n is the number of electrons transferred in the reaction (2), and F is Faraday's constant.
Step 4: Convert moles of tin to mass
Finally, you need to convert the moles of tin produced to its mass using the molar mass of tin (Sn), which is 118.71 g/mol.
mass Sn = moles Sn x molar mass Sn
This calculation will give you the mass of tin actually produced.
Step 5: Determine the theoretical mass of tin
The theoretical mass of tin can be calculated from the stoichiometry of the balanced equation. From the equation, we see that 2 moles of tin produce 2 moles of tin cations. So, the theoretical mass of tin produced should be the same as the actual mass obtained in Step 4.
Step 6: Calculate the percentage difference and discuss any discrepancies
To determine the accuracy of your result, you can calculate the percentage difference between the actual mass and the theoretical mass of tin produced:
% difference = (|actual mass - theoretical mass| / theoretical mass) x 100
If the percentage difference is close to zero, it indicates high accuracy, while a large difference suggests potential errors or discrepancies.
By following these steps, you can analyze the mass of tin produced, the theoretical mass of tin that should have been produced, and evaluate the accuracy of your results. Make sure to input the specific values from your experiment to determine the actual results.