A research group is designing an electrolytic experiment that deposits a pure metal M…
CHEMISTRY · Multi-part · AP · Chemistry · Thermodynamics and Electrochemistry · Thermodynamics and Electrochemistry
Problem
A research group is designing an electrolytic experiment that deposits a pure metal M (molar mass = 65.4gmol−1) from a M2+ aqueous solution at a constant current. In preliminary meetings, two issues must be addressed before any numerical calculations are performed.
(a) Explain, in terms of electron stoichiometry, how the charge required to deposit a fixed mass of M depends on the ion’s charge number.
(b) The group anticipates that only 80\% of the electrical current will actually participate in the desired half-reaction. Describe qualitatively how this diminished current efficiency will affect the time needed to obtain a target mass, assuming the current setting on the power supply remains unchanged.