For corrosion resistance, a steel bolt is plated with nickel from a solution of nickel(II)sulfate. If 0.250 g of nickel produces a plating of the required thickness and a current of 0.540 A is used, predict how long in minutes the process will take
amperes x seconds = coulombs
96,485 coulombs will plate 1 equivalent weight Ni.
1 equivalent weight Ni = atomic mass/change in # electrons for the Ni half cell.
To predict the time it will take for the nickel plating process, we need to use Faraday's law of electrolysis. This law states that the amount of substance deposited or liberated at an electrode is directly proportional to the quantity of electricity that passes through the electrolyte.
First, we need to calculate the quantity of electricity used in this process. We can use the equation:
Q = I * t
Where:
Q = Quantity of electricity (in coulombs)
I = Current (in amperes)
t = Time (in seconds)
We can convert the given time from minutes to seconds if needed. For this example, let's assume we will work with minutes.
Next, we need to calculate the number of moles of nickel deposited using the mass of nickel and its molar mass. The molar mass of nickel is 58.69 g/mol.
Moles of nickel = Mass of nickel / Molar mass of nickel
Finally, we will use the molar ratio between nickel and electrons to apply Faraday's law. It is important to note that 2 moles of electrons are required to deposit 1 mole of nickel.
Using this information, we can calculate the time required for the nickel plating process.
Let's assume that the molar mass of nickel is 58.69 g/mol. Thus, the moles of nickel can be calculated using:
Moles of nickel = 0.250 g / 58.69 g/mol
Once we have the moles of nickel, we can multiply it by 2 to find the number of moles of electrons required:
Moles of electrons = 2 * Moles of nickel
Now, we can use Faraday's constant (F) to convert the number of moles of electrons to the quantity of electricity (Q in coulombs). Faraday's constant is approximately 96,485 C/mol.
Quantity of electricity (Q) = Moles of electrons * Faraday's constant
Finally, we can rearrange the equation Q = I * t to solve for time (t):
t = Q / I
By substituting the appropriate values, we can calculate the desired time in minutes.